Union Minister for Jal Shakti, Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and the Minister of State, Jal Shakti, Shri Rattan Lal Kataria conferred the Swachhata Awards 2020 on the 20 best performing districts for making significant contribution towards ODF Sustainability and ODF Plus goals on the occasion of World Toilet Day today. These awards were given at a virtual ceremony organized by Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation (DDWS), Ministry of Jal Shakti and saw the online participation by Central, State and District SBMG officials.

The 20 awardee districts are namely West Godavari and East Godavari (Andhra Pradesh), Siang (Arunachal Pradesh), Kanker and Bemetara (Chhattisgarh);Vadodara and Rajkot (Gujarat); Bhiwana and Rewari (Haryana); Ernakulam and Wayanad (Kerala);Kolhapur and Nashik (Maharashtra); Kolasib and Serchhip (Mioram); Moga and Fatehgarh Sahib (Punjab); Siddipet and Peddapalli (Telangana); and Cooch Behar (West Bengal). 

Union Minister Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat said that the SBMG has transformed rural India by manifesting into a Jan Andolan for sanitation. Narendra Modi achieving Open Defecation Free (ODF) rural India milestone in mission mode, in a span of five years. He said that the awards being given today are recognition to worthy contributions made by community members for boosting the People’s movement. The Union Minister also had a virtual interaction or Sarpanch Samvad with nine Sarpanches from ODF Plus Gram Panchayats where Sapanches shared their key activities such as SLWM, people’ participation and ODF Sustainability. 

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