Odisha sets target to provide toilets to all houses by Dec

Fifty-one per cent of houses in Odisha has toilets now, and the state government has set a target to provide the facility to the remaining 49 per cent by the end of the year, officials said here today.

The households having toilet has increased to 51 per cent by end of March, 2018 from a mere 10.58 per cent in the October, 2014, Chief Secretary A P Padhi said.

Panchayati Raj and Drinking Water Secretary D R Singh said the target has been to cover 100 per cent households by the end of December, 2018.

"The rate of completion would be enhanced and more manpower would be engaged for meeting the target," he said.

As of now, Deogarh district has been declared as open defecation free (ODF) district and Jharsuguda would be declared so within a fortnight, Singh said.

The government is trying to declare four more districts ODF by the 1st quarter of 2018-19, Singh said adding that the four districts are Balasore, Gajpati, Sambalpur and Sonepur.