RAYAGADA: The district administration has set a target to make 57 gram panchayats (GPs) in 11 blocks as Open Defecation Free (ODF) by March 2017.
Informing this at a knowledge sharing workshop on implementation of Swachh Bharat Mission (Gramin) organised by District Water and Sanitation Mission (DWSM) here recently, Collector Guha Punam Tapas Kumar said a mega sensitisation campaign on sanitation will be launched in the villages involving PRI members, students, SHG members, ASHA and anganwadi workers.
The Collector said the campaign will also create awareness on preventing water-borne diseases. Tribal youths, who will act as change agents, will be trained on the issue using Information, Education and Communication (IEC) materials.
Officials of five line departments like Panchayatiraj, Health, Education, ICDS and RWSS of the district will monitor the progress, she added.
According to sources, at present, the district has so far covered merely 30 per cent of the target of Individual Household Latrine (IHHL) construction under the mission and stands at 19th position in the State.
As per the block level survey in 2012, a total of 60,667 households were covered against the target of 1,99,383 households.
Recently, the Collector was felicitated by the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation at New Delhi for her outstanding performance in implementation of IHHL under Swachh Bharat Mission in Deogarh district.
Now she has developed a roadmap for Rayagada to meet the target.
Among others, Chief District Medical Officer (CDMO) Anand Padhi, PD DRDA Prashant Rath, ADMO BLN Prusty, RWSS Executive Engineer Niranjan Sahu and senior district and block level officials were present.