Goa to be made ODF by August 31: Chief Minister

Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Thursday said the government's target is to make the state Open Defecation Free (ODF) by August 31, and has proposed levying fines on those defecating in the open after the deadline.

"The government is making best efforts to make Goa ODF by August 31," Sawant told the state legislative assembly. 

He added that the government was making bio-digester toilets available at a subsidised rate to ensure that toilets are easily accessible.

Goa's Minister for Garbage Management Michael Lobo also said that those who indulge in open defecation after August 31 would be fined. "Once we declare Goa ODF after August 31, no open defecation will be tolerated. Offenders will be fined," he said.

The state government has skipped several deadlines since 2017, when then Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar first announced that the state would be made ODF. IANS