Over one lakh villages across the country turned ODF plus.

• Over one lakh villages have declared themselves as open defecation-free (ODF) Plus. Jal Shakti Ministry said, these villages are sustaining their ODF status and have systems in place for managing solid and liquid waste. They are also working towards making their villages cleaner, greener and healthier.
• The top five performing states are Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh, and Himachal Pradesh where maximum number of villages have been declared as ODF Plus.
• Prime Minister started the Swachh Bharat Mission in October 2014 with the goal of eliminating garbage and open defecation in the country through behavioural change.
• Swachh Bharat Mission Gramin Phase-II was launched in February 2020 with the aim to ensure that all villages in the country can declare themselves as ODF Plus by the end of 2024.
• The mission towards becoming ODF Plus has several components including biodegradable waste management including the GOBARdhan Scheme, Grey water management, Plastic waste management and faecal sludge management.

About open defecation-free (ODF) plus villages

• ‘Open defecation free’ (ODF) is a term used to describe communities that have shifted to using toilets instead of open defecation.
• ODF plus village is defined as “a village which sustains its Open Defecation Free (ODF) status, ensures solid and liquid waste management and is visually clean.”
• This includes ensuring that all households in a village, as well as the Primary School, Panchayat Ghar and Anganwadi Centre, have access to a toilet and that all public places and at least 80% of households effectively manage their solid and liquid waste and have a minimal litter and minimal stagnant water.
• ODF Plus villages have been divided into three categories; Aspiring, Rising, Model.