ODF
(Left) Manipur Governor Najma Heptullah and (lRight) Nagaland PHE Ministe Jacob Zhimomi declaring Manipur and Nagalnd as ODF States respectively on Tuesday. Image – Northeast Now

Both Manipur and Nagaland have been declared Open Defection Free (ODF) States on Tuesday.

Informing about Manipur being declared as an Open Defection Free State, Manipur Government Najma Heptullah  on her Twitter handle on Tuesday stated: “I am full of pride in the declaration of ODF Manipur and handing of the certificate to Hon’ble Chief Minister N Biren Singh ji.”

The declaration was made by Manipur Governor Heptullah in presence of Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh during a programme organised at Imphal.

Congratulating the Swachhagrahis and the members of Village Water and Sanitation Committee for achieving the success, Heptullah tweeted: “I congratulate the Swachhagrahis and Village Water and Sanitation Committee (VWSC) members who have won certificates today for their performance.”

In Nagaland, State Public Health Engineering Department (PHED) Minister Jacob Zhimomi declared Nagaland as open defecation free State (rural) during a programme organised at Kohima.

In the programme organised on the occasion at Kohima, the Minister also presented awards to the best performing ODF villages of the State.

Informing this, Nagaland Minister Zhimomi on his Twitter handle on Tuesday stated: “Glad to declare Nagaland as the ODF State today at the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhiji.”

He also stated that Nagaland is the 22nd State in the country which has been declared Open Defection Free.

Minister Zhimomi also stated that to mark the day of Gandhi Jayanti and declaration of ODF State (Rural) today (Tuesday), awards were given to the best performing district in the State including WATSAN committees in the presence of all the Brand Ambassadors of Swachh Bharat Mission (Gramin) [SBM-G] on be half of Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu_Rio.

Earlier, it was reported only 792 villages or 54.58 per cent of the total 1451 villages in Nagaland were declared as open defecation free verified villages. Under SBM, the Indian Government set the target of October 2019 as the deadline to declare all the villages ODF verified.