Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh declared as free from open defecation

On the Occasion of Mahatma Gandhi birth anniversary celebrations at Tirupati, AP Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu counseled the people to become 'Swachhagrahis' to create the nation free from poor sanitation in the spirit of 'Satyagrahis' who had won freedom for the nation under the leadership role of the Mahatma Gandhi.  Chandra Babu said that an amount of INR 186 Crores has been sanctioned for Andhra Pradesh for schemes of solid waste management in urban areas.  The Chief Minister has released a postal stamp on 'Swachh Bharat Abhiyan' and a book on 'In the Footsteps of Mahatma: Gandhi and Sanitation'.

A overall number of 180 Cities and Towns in Gujarat and 110 cities and towns in Andhra Pradesh were declared free from open defecation. So far, 405 cities and towns are said to have become free from open defecation along with 20,000 of the 82,000 urban wards in the country. Additional 334 cities and towns were covered to end the open defecation practice by March 2017. Kerala, Maharashtra, Mizoram, Himachal Pradesh and other North-Eastern states are on course to reveal all urban areas as 'Open defecation Free' shortly.