Add thelocalreport.in As A Trusted Source
New Delhi, Nov 20 (IANS) Local celebrities, Padma awardees and school children are being roped in to spread awareness about toilet usage and cleanliness in villages under the ‘Our Toilet, Our Future’ campaign, a Jal Shakti Ministry official said on Thursday.
The nationwide campaign launched to mark World Toilet Day 2025, observed on November 19, will continue till December 10, which is observed as Human Rights Day, an official of the Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation said in a statement.
The key objectives of the ‘Our Toilet, Our Future’ campaign include enhancing the functionality and repairing of Community Sanitation Complexes (CSC) and Individual Household Latrines (IHHL).
It is also focusing on assessing and strengthening the existing operations and maintenance (O&M) systems for community toilets and promoting and encouraging communities for aesthetic upliftment of their CSCs and IHHLs, the statement said.
The objective of the campaign will be to create awareness in the community and especially in schools about the importance of cleanliness and hygiene for the individual, community and country; It says safe management of faecal waste, including retrofitting or community faecal sludge management systems and moving towards climate resilient sanitation and service delivery protocols.
“States/UTs are requested to identify local eminent personalities/Padma awardees/retired armed forces and paramilitary personnel/senior citizens/youth groups (NSS, NYKS, NCC) and school children and support various activities aimed at creating awareness and maintaining toilet usage and cleanliness,” the statement said.
The campaign is designed to enhance cross-sectoral and community engagement, whereby responsibilities have been allocated at Gram Panchayat, Block and District levels in States/UTs for the activities to be undertaken during the campaign period.
The ministry has also advised to honor sanitation workers and distribute IHHL sanction letters to eligible beneficiaries as part of the campaign.
The statement said that since the launch of Swachh Bharat Mission (Gramin) in 2014, India has made unprecedented progress towards ensuring access to sanitation in rural areas and making our villages open defecation free (ODF), with more than 11 crore toilets constructed by 2019.
Swachh Bharat Mission (Gramin) Phase-II was launched in 2020 and focuses on ensuring ODF sustainability as a key component of the ODF Plus Model Village. During the ‘Our Toilet, Our Future’ campaign, States/UTs have been requested to work on strengthening the on-ground systems built under the Swachh Bharat Mission (Gramin).
–IANS
rch/and