Ministry of Rural Development Launched Nirmal Bharat Yatra

Ministry of rural development on3 October 2012 started a campaign named Nirmal Bharat Yatra which focuses on making the country free from open defecation.

The yatra will begin from Wardha District of Maharashtra from 3 october 2012 and will go through Indore, Kota, Gwalior, and Gorakhpur and end up in Bettiah district of Bihar on November 17, covering about 2000 km of distance.

The Indian Bollywood actress Vidya Balan is the brand ambassador of the campaign.

The campaign is being promoted by several NGOs and private companies and it is going to be completed at a cost of over Rs 12 crore and is going to target over 9 crore people to spread awareness about sanitation.

The well known NGOs that are participating in the programme are Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council.

According to the Studies conducted by World Health Organisation and UNICEF  it was found that with 626 million people defecating in the open, India has largest population without access to toilets.
The Yatra is about demand generation and sensitization about the sanitation issues as open defecation is a blot on our society.

The single biggest cause of malnutrition in India is poor sanitation and hygiene. Therefore with the most important medical and behavioral message is going to be conveyed.

Sikkim has already achieved the ODF (Open Defecation Free) status and the States like Kerala, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana and Maharashtra are on way to achieve the sanitation goals in coming one to two years.