The grand cleanliness campaign, Swachh Bharat Campaign, on October 2, 2016, completed two years since it was launched on the same date in the year 2014 with much fanfare to make India clean by the time India celebrates the 150th birth anniversary of the Father of Nation Mahatma Gandi, that is, by the year 2019.
To mark this occasion, the Center origanized INDOSAN-India Sanitation Conference in New Dalhi and adopted a Declaration wherein top leadership including Prime Minister, Chief Ministers and Ministers from State and Union Territories today commited to make India Open Defecation Free and Clean by 2019.
INDOSAN
During the Conference, the Union Minister for Rural Development, Drinking Water & Sanitation and Panchaati Raj Narandra Singh Tomar said that by October 2, 2016, one lakh villages will become Open Defecation Free (ODF) and 40 Districts will achieve the status of ODF Distracts in the financial Year 2016-17.
The Conference also saw the distribution of awards to instutions and organizations for singnificant work to ensure cleanliness. These are as follow:
- ODF and cleanest district in plain areas: Sindhudurg District, Maharashtra
- Cleanest Cultural Heritage Site: Rani ki Vav, Patan, Gujarat
- Cleanest Tourism Destination: Gangtok, Sikkim
- Clean Cities in Million plus population category: Chandigarh and Mysuru