The Union Minister of Jal Shakti, Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, released the compendium of 75 ODF Plus Best Practices, at the two-day National Conference of Rural WASH Partners Forum (RWPF) which culminated today. The compendium, titled Swachhata Chronicles: Transformative Tales from India, showcases the innovations, measures taken to overcome barriers and raise awareness, special campaigns launched, and other endeavours of States/UTs in various ODF Plus activities in order to meet the goals of SBM-G Phase-II.
Talking about the compendium of 75 ODF Plus Best Practices, Union Minister, Shri Shekhawat said “The compendium is a valuable resource for States and other stakeholders working towards achieving ODF Plus”. “It showcases the best practices that have been implemented across the country and provides inspiration for others to replicate these successes.”
The compendium is developed by Swachh Bharat Mission Grameen IEC team and comprises stories for each of the thematic pillars of SBMG phase – II. The overall selection of stories is based on following key criteria:
Innovations: This section highlights the innovative approaches that have been used to achieve ODF Plus. For example, in State of Odisha how the community participation and leadership at the Block level, ensured ODF Plus Model village status of Jitikar Suanlo village in Bhingarpur GP of Khordha District or how displaying live models of ODF Plus assets (to effectively manage solid and liquid waste) helped the Shravasti District in Uttar Pradesh achieve ODF Plus status.
Overcoming Barriers: This section discusses the challenges that have been faced in achieving ODF Plus and how these challenges have been overcome. For example, the State of Tamil Nadu, tackled the significant challenge in solid waste management in peri-urban panchayats of Madurai through an innovative mass cleaning initiative as part of the Namma Ooru Superu campaign.
Raising Awareness: This section highlights the measures that have been taken to raise awareness about sanitation. For example, children from government schools in Fatehpur District of Uttar Pradesh have been using their creative energy to promote positive WASH behaviour in rural areas through a magazine called the WASH Vaani.
Special Campaigns: This section discusses the special campaigns that have been launched to achieve ODF Plus. For example, the State of Gujarat as part of the Swachh Sagar, Surakshit Sagar (Clean Coast, Safe Sea) campaign, initiated measures to clean their beaches on a regular basis and thereby protect the environment.
