Jharkhand Launches Campaign to Boost ODF Plus Village Status

Swachh Bharat Mission (Grameen): State Steps Up Efforts to Meet ODF Plus Goals

Ranchi: The state drinking water and sanitation department has announced a special campaign to expedite the declaration of villages as ODF Plus model villages under the Swachh Bharat Mission (Grameen). This decision follows a recent review that revealed progress in achieving the target to be significantly below expectations.

Out of the 15,890 villages targeted across 16 divisions, only 4,173 villages have attained the highest 5-star ODF Plus status so far. Expressing dissatisfaction with the slow pace of progress, the secretary has directed an immediate campaign to accelerate the process. Additionally, officials have been instructed to urgently address the backlog in first-level ODF Plus verification.

Currently, verification has been completed for just 1,824 of the villages declared as model ODF Plus, leaving 2,349 villages pending verification. Under the Swachh Bharat Mission (Grameen), a 5-star ODF Plus village represents the highest standard of rural cleanliness, equivalent to achieving ‘Model’ status.

According to the SBM(G) 2.0 dashboard, Jharkhand is trailing with only 30.08% coverage in ODF Plus model villages. Across all 32 divisions, a total of 8,821 villages have been declared ODF Plus. Officials have been urged to prioritize the declaration of villages covered under schemes such as PM-JANMAN, Saansad Adarsh Gram Yojana, Aspirational Districts, and Aspirational Blocks as 5-star category ODF Plus villages.