<span style="color: #222222;">In Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, Swachh Bharat Mission has played a significant role in mitigating the issues of the poor population particularly ensuring and addressing the sanitation issues in the rural areas of both the Union Territories. </span><br />'' <br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">Due to the sustained efforts of all the stakeholders including Panchayati Raj Institutions, 100 per cent toilet coverage has been ensured for generating a positive frame of mind, crucial for making the people of both the Union Territories, lead a purposeful life.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"> </span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">The government also laid much emphasis for ensuring wellbeing of the poor and destitute especially the women folk, who suffer from various health ailments due to the lack of toilet facilities at their respective homes.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"> </span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">But with making both the Union Territories as 100 per cent Open Defecation Free (ODF), the problems have been addressed enormously and has been the achievement of the people of both the Union Territories as far as the objectives of the ambitions Swachh Bharat Mission are concerned. </span><br />'' <br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh were declared Open Defecation Free in the month of September 2018, quite one year in advance, by the then Governor Satya Pal Malik of the erstwhile State of Jammu and Kashmir while launching Swachhta Hi Sewa, cleanliness campaign at Kashmir International Convention Centre in Srinagar. </span><br />'' <br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">All the 20 districts in Jammu and Kashmir and 02 districts in Ladakh division, 7,565 villages and 4,171 Gram Panchayats in both the Union Territories were declared 100 per cent Open Defecation Free as per Swachh Bharat Mission (Grameen) guidelines. </span><br />'' <br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">Apart from constructing 1.1 million individual household toilets and 1,350 community sanitary complexes, the Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan in Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh Union Territories have played a vital and significant role in bringing about a behavioral change on the minds of the people.</span><br />