Panaji (Goa) With a focus on to achieve the Open Defecation Free (ODF) tag before 2019, the Goa government will undertake Swacch Bharat Mission survey in the rural areas of the State to ascertain the current situation.

The Directorate of Panchayat(DoP) in collaboration with District Rural Development Agency and Goa Institute of Public Administration and Rural Development will conduct the Swachh Bharat Mission survey in rural areas of both the Districts- North and South.

The week-long survey will help the Government to get a clear cut picture about the total number of families possessing toilets and those who do not have toilets, so that Goa can achieve the goal to be declared as the first State of India as ‘Open Defecation Free’.

“The State of Goa will be working on war footing to achieve the Open Defecation Free(ODF) target for both-north and south Goa districts before the 2019 deadline,” the government said in a press statement issued today.

In the first phase the survey will be conducted in 89 Villages Panchayats covering a total of 691 wards of Pernem, Bardez and Bicholim Blocks in North Goa and Quepem and Canacona Blocks in South Goa, 97 Supervisors and 695 Enumerators will be on the field conducting this survey.

Thereafter the survey will be conducted in Tiswadi, Dharbandora and Ponda and lastly in Sanguem, Salcete, Mormugao and Sattari Blocks.

 The survey will be carried out with the help of Self Help Group Community Resource Persons (CRP), Block Resource Persons (BRP) and Self Help Group (SHG) members under Stree Shakti Program of Day-NRLM, which is a centrally sponsored scheme for empowerment of rural women.