Palakkad has achieved the distinction of open defecation-free (ODF) district. The district won the ODF Plus status when the 88 grama panchayats and 150 villages in Palakkad ensured toilets in all households.
The district attained ODF Plus not only by doing away with open defecation, but also by ensuring public sanitation and hygiene, and maintenance of public toilets.
District Suchitwa Mission coordinator said that a concerted effort by the officials and the people helped the district attain the distinction. The State had achieved ODF status in 2016.
A few weeks ago, Wayanad became the country’s first ODF Plus district. Wayanad got the first in the ODF Plus rankings of the Swachh Bharat Mission in three-star category, followed by Mancheriyal district in Maharashtra and Anupur in Madya Pradesh. While Wayanad scored 100 points in the ODF ranking, Manchaeriyal and Anupur got 90.45 and 88.79 points respectively.
The ODF Plus scores of panchayats and districts are calculated on the basis of the ODF Plus progress report submitted by the villages till October 1, 2022.
