65,000 houses to be covered in first phase of Swacch Bharat Mission

CHANDIGARH: Punjab government has identified 65,000 households for the provision of sanitary toilet facilities in the state under the first phase of Swacch Bharat Mission (SBM), officials said today.

Reviewing the progress of the projects under SBM, he said that 65,000 households out of 2,14,882 households would be covered in the first phase of SBM for which Rs 13 crore has already been released by the Ministry of Urban Development, Local Bodies minister Anil Joshi said today.

Expressing concern over the 13.8 per cent households in urban areas for not having a sanitary toilet or practise open defecation, the minister said Rs 23 crore has been sanctioned under Solid Waste Management (SWM) component for Amritsar.

All municipal authorities have been issued directions to ensure timely completion of the projects undertaken by the government, he said.

They have also been asked to identify beneficiaries as per SBM guidelines and start awareness campaigns for public, he said.