From our Correspondent
Agartala: The Rural Development Ministry has embarked on a ten-year mission to make India open-defecation free country, said Union Minister for Rural Development Jairam Ramesh.
The Union Minister, who held a review meeting with representatives of Northeastern states on Drinking Water and Sanitation (DWS) at Prajna Bhavan here on Saturday, told reporters said that the Centre had earmarked Rs. 3500 crore during 2012-13 FY under Nirmal Bharat Abhijan (open-defecation free campaign).
“Each Gram Panchayat will be made open-defecation free, a course to nation within the next ten years by pumping Rs. 35000 crore”, he said.
At present the country has 2.40 lakh GPs. Besides, the RD Ministry has already initiated a dialogue with the Bill Gates Foundation to address the problem in open air defecation in trains.
Referring to the review meeting, the Union Minister said that Sikkim had already made itself open defecation free state while Kerala in the pipe line.
“Three NE states Tripura, Manipur and Mizoram will achieve the same distinction within next year”, he said adding that the UPA government has been pumping unprecedented fund in different welfare schemes to all states.
“The money belongs to people of the county and they have the right to ask what they had got from the state governments”, he said.
To ensure transparency and accountability in spending central funds, the RD Minister has asked for performance audit by CAG NRGEA. “The outcome of the performance audit for the past years will be tabled in the Parliament in the first part of December”, he added.