In Odisha, the Union Rural Development, Water and Sanitation Minister Mr Jayram Ramesh unveiled on Sunday the first ever bio-latrine of the nation developed by the Defense Research and Development Organization, DRDO at Dhamara Port areas in Balasore district.

On this occasion, Mr Ramesh said that maintenance of proper sanitation at village level is treated as the pride and self respect of women. He said in first phase his ministry is going to enter into a memorandum of understanding with DRDO to provide as much as one thousand Gram Panchayats bio latrine facilities.

Adding this he said that these facilities would be made available in all the 2 lakh 40 thousand Gram Panchayat in the country in next ten years. Union Minister for Statistic and Program Implementation, Mr Srikant Jena was also present on the occasion.