The government has setup the target to make India open-defecation free in next ten years. Talking to reporters in New Delhi on the sidelines of a function on National Workshop for State and District Level Swachchata Preraks, Minister for Drinking Water and Sanitation Jairam Ramesh said Kerala will become open defecation free state from 1st of December this year. He said Sikkim has already became open defecation free.

He informed that Himachal Pradesh will be the next open defecation free State in April next year. The minister said that the centre has also targeted around thirty thousand gram panchayat as Nirmal Gram Panchayat under Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan in the current fiscal. He said during last ten year only twenty eight thousand gram panchayat could become Nirmal Gram Panchayat. Mr Ramesh said that his ministry has set Non-Government Organisations', who will do independent social audit and evalutation of Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan. He said for this purpose 30 NGO's has been selected.

The minister said there are 13 lakh Aganwadi workers and about eight and a half lakh ASHA workers in the country and their services can be utilised for sanitation.