5.67 lakh villages declared ODF Plus, jump of 467 pc since 2022: Data

New Delhi, Nov 19 (PTI) Nearly 5.67 lakh villages across the country have been declared ODF Plus, recording a 467 per cent increase from 1 lakh in 2022, according to official data released by the Jal Shakti ministry on the occasion of World Toilet Day on Wednesday.

Of these, 4.86 lakh villages have achieved the 'ODF Plus Model' stage which means that they sustain open-defecation-free status while managing both solid and liquid waste and maintaining visual cleanliness, the data said.

Jal Shakti Minister C R Paatil said the transformation reflects both nationwide participation and sustained government backing.

He said the Centre supported states in building more than 12 crore toilets across rural and urban India.

“The responsibility lay with the state governments, and the Centre assisted by constructing 12 crore toilets across the country,” Patil said at an event.

The minister added that the massive toilet coverage has triggered a behavioural shift.

According to the official data, over 95 per cent of villages in India were declared ODF Plus.

ODF Plus villages grew by 467 per cent from 1 lakh in December 2022 to 5.67 lakh villages. ODF Plus Model villages have increased to 4,85,818.

“Crores of people who earlier practised open defecation have now stopped doing so,” he said, crediting the Swachh Bharat Mission for turning sanitation into a mass movement.

The minister said that improved sanitation has also protected children.

“Cleanliness has saved the lives of around 3,00,000 children,” Paatil said, noting that the government will continue to fund the upkeep of the sanitation infrastructure.

“Even with 12 crore toilets, we will sustain their funding,” he added.

World Toilet Day, observed globally on November 19, highlights the urgent need for access to safe and sustainable sanitation -- a central target under Sustainable Development Goal 6.

Since the launch of the Swachh Bharat Mission in 2014, India has moved from eliminating open defecation to building systems that keep villages and cities clean, manage waste and protect water sources.

Under SBM–Gramin Phase II, most villages are now focusing on maintaining ODF status, improving waste management and scaling up cleanliness initiatives.

Urban sanitation has also exceeded targets, with more than 63.7 lakh household toilets constructed with over 108 per cent of the mission goal and public/community toilets surpassing targets by 125 per cent.

Paatil said complementary programmes such as the Jal Jeevan Mission and Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) have strengthened sanitation outcomes by expanding sewerage networks, septage management and piped water supply. PTI UZM NB NB