Doda West declared open defecation free

Jammu, Mar 12: The Department of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj on Wednesday declared the entire Doda West Constituency as Open Defecation Free (ODF) under the Swachh Bharat Mission-Gramin (SBM-G) scheme.
This was revealed in response to a Question by Shakti Raj Parihar, Incharge Minister, Department of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj, J&K in the Assembly.
As per the official reply, an amount of Rs 876.59 lakhs has been released and fully uti-lized over the past two years under the SBM-G scheme to ensure sanitation infrastruc-ture and services across various urban and rural bodies in the Doda West Constituen-cy. Year-wise breakup shows: 2023-24: Rs 643.09 lakhs 2024-25: Rs 233.50 lakhs
The government clarified that while no separate funds are specifically allocated under the ODF scheme, all activities related to open defecation eradication are covered under the larger SBM-G initiative.
The entire constituency has now been declared ODF. However, the government stated that continuous monitoring, community awareness drives, and regular inspections are being conducted to ensure the sustained success of the mission and to address any remaining gaps.
A third-party audit has already been carried out to assess the effective implementation of the scheme. To prevent recurrence of open defecation, the department has adopted a multi-pronged strategy, including:
Construction and maintenance of accessible toilets for all households, Behavioural change campaigns and hygiene education, Community participation and self-monitoring systems, Focused interventions in vulnerable or high-risk areas, Strength-ening sustainability through maintenance and policy enforcement.