To promote ODF, weeklong celebrations

ALLAHABAD: Keeping chief minister Yogi Adityanath’s mission to make Uttar Pradesh an open defecation free (ODF) state by October 2018 in mind, the government has decided to celebrate 71st Independence Day with ‘Independence from Open Defecation Week’ from August 9 and 15.

The move is at the behest of the Union ministry of drinking water and sanitation, which has written to the state government in this regard on July 11. The week would see a series of special programmes including essay writing and debate contests in schools, sports events for kids besides street plays--all on theme of cleanliness and ODF. The state government has issued orders in this regard to all district magistrates and divisional commissioners.

In a missive dated August 1 sent to officials as well as district panchayati raj officers and CDOs, additional chief secretary (Panchayati Raj) Chanchal Kumar Tiwari has made it clear that focus of these celebrations would be to involve residents of rural areas.

The celebrations would see ministers as well as elected representatives like MPs and MLAs leading the cause from front, informed a senior official of the state Panchayati Raj department.

During the programmes, people will be encouraged to construct toilets as well as use them, especially in all development blocks and villages. Special functions to felicitate individuals including women and children who are doing outstanding work in making the state open defecation free as well as strengthening Swachch Bharat Mission would also be organised.

To ensure uniformity in celebrations across the 75 districts, the government has even set a timetable for the week with a formal inaugural function to kickoff the week at all district headquarters on August 9. The minister in-charge of the district, MP or an MLA or the DM would launch the celebrations.

Hoarding, banners and posters specially prepared for the task would be put up on August 10 across the district and the development blocks as per the respective district IEC plan. On August 11 cinema halls would display special slides with ODF messages while on August 12 debates and essay writing contests would be held in schools. The next day on August 13 street plays would be held while on August 14, sports for schools kids would be organised.

The week will conclude with a special function in all districts on Independence Day with felicitation of winners of different contests held during the week as well as of those individuals who have performed outstandingly at block levels in taking mission clean and ODF forward.

The chief minister on April 25 had announced during a grand function held to observe the National Panchayati Raj Day in Lucknow that UP would become an ODF state by October 2018, a year prior to the national target. He had also committed that the state’s 30 out of 75 districts would achieve the target by October 2017 itself with Shamli already having been declared an ODF district.

THE CELEBRATIONS WOULD SEE MINISTERS AS WELL AS ELECTED REPRESENTATIVES LIKE MPS AND MLAS LEADING THE CAUSE FROM FRONT