Union Minister of Jal Shakti Gajendra Singh Shekhawat said that in the next five years, the whole country will be declared Open Defecation Free (ODF) and the Ministry is working on it. He said this today in Guwahati while reviewing the progress of the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) and Swachh Bharat Mission (Grameen), SBMG in North-Eastern States.
 
Addressing the media persons, the Union Minister said the country is moving towards complete sanitation facilities in every village. Mr. Shekhawat informed that from 2019 to date the country achieved 40 per cent ODF and Sikkim is the only 100 per cent ODF plus State.
 
The northeastern States have made remarkable development in respect of the Jal Jeevan Mission. A State like Assam which started with just one per cent development is now touching 54 per cent progress under JJM, Mr. Shekhawat said.
 
The Union Minister further said that 64 per cent of households in the country are getting potable drinking water under the JJM and working towards achieving a 100 per cent target. He expected the Northeastern States to achieve 100 per cent development under JJM by the end of 2024.
 
Apart from the status of JJM in the Northeastern States, aspects such as the quality of implementation, operation and maintenance, schemes handed over to the panchayats, et al, were discussed during the meeting. Besides, issues under the ambit of SBMG where the status of ODF (open defecation free) plus in villages, waste management in villages and others were discussed threadbare.
 
The meeting was attended by the concerned Ministers of all the northeastern States along with senior officials of the departments.