The government on Thursday informed the Lok Sabha that 11 states and union territories have been declared open defecation free (ODF) so far under the Centre's flagship programme,Swachh Bharat Mission. <br/><br/>This was stated in a written reply by the Minister of State in the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation, Ramesh Chandappa Jigajinagi. <br/><br/>He said the states and union territories declared ODF till date are Sikkim, Himachal Pradesh, Kerala, Uttarakhand, Haryana, Gujarat, Chandigarh, Daman and Diu, Arunachal Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Meghalaya. <br/><br/>The Minister said the government is taking various steps under the Swachh Bharat Mission to make all states in the country ODF. <br/><br/>These include special focus on behavioural change, although the states are free to choose the approach best suited to them. <br/><br/>Focus is also on creation of complete ODF villages, rather than only on construction of individual toilets.