Karnataka will be free from open defecation by March 2018: CM Siddaramaiah

Bengaluru: CM Siddaramaiah on Monday said that Karnataka will be free of open defecation by March 2018.

Addressing the gathering celebrating Gandhi Jayanti at Palace Grounds in the city, CM mentioned that Dakshina Kannada, Udupi, Bengaluru Rural districts and Bengaluru have already been declared free from open defecation.

“This year Hassan, Chikkamagaluru, Kolar, Shivamogga, Mandya and Ramanagara have been added to the list of open defecation free districts which includes 51 taluks, 1,937 gram panchayats and 10,340 villages,” Siddaramaiah said.

“We have worked on several initiatives to make our state free from open defecation. Women elected representatives should also help in achieving this and ensure to work towards its success considering that nearly half of around 6,000 gram panchayats in Karnataka have woman presidents. They have a big role to play in making their locality open-defecation-free“ he said.

Zilla panchayat presidents and officials should take responsibility in making Karnataka free from open defecation by March next year. He added.