Gujarat panchayat minister catches villagers defecating in open, gifts them roses

Ahmedabad: To spread awareness against open defecation, Gujarat Panchayat Minister Jayanti Kavadiya visited some rural areas on Wednesday and gifted roses to the villagers who were found defecating in the open.

According to a report in The Indian Express, Kavadiya requested the villagers not to defecate in the open. His move was a part of the state government’s campaign against open defecation and to encourage people to build toilets in their homes.

According to Gujarat’s Principal Secretary, Sanitation, 4,800 villages in the state were declared Open Defecation Free (ODF) in June.

On November 1, Kerala will become the first state to be declared open defecation free. A total of more than 1.90 lakh toilets are being constructed across the 941 gramma panchayats in the state.