Haryana to become ODF by September: Khattar

Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar today said all the districts in the state will be declared Open Defecation Free (ODF) by September this year.
"While the rural areas will be made ODF by June 23, the urban areas will get this status by September 25," Khattar said at a programme here.
In all, 6,132 gram panchayats have become ODF in the state while the remaining 200 to 300 panchayats would be made ODF by next month.
Khattar said a team of World Bank experts met him today and offered to work towards ODF plus status for Haryana.
ODF plus refers to total sanitation in terms of solid waste management, improved sewerage lines, storm water drains and pucca cement roads, in addition to open defecation free status.

"As many as 44 villages-- two villages each from a district---would be taken up under a pilot project where cleanliness would be ensured by November 1," he said.

Khattar said that his government had taken various steps to ensure women empowerment.
"Women police stations have been set up at district as well as sub-divisional level," he said.
"The strength of women in the state police force has been increased from six per cent to eight per cent and the target of ten per cent would be achieved soon," he added.
The chief minister said that under the 'Saksham Yuva Scheme' of the state government, as many as 10,700 applications had been received from post-graduate youths out of which 8,000 were presently working.

"Now the scope of this scheme has been widened April onwards by including the graduate youths," he said.