Districts and Panchayat blocks from Kerala, Karnataka, Mahrashtra and West Bengal have been selected for the Nirmal Gram Puraskar 2009 for achieving total sanitation in their respective areas. President Pratibha Patil will felicitate the winners from these Panchayati Raj Institutions at a function here on November 17.
The districts have been selected for their commendable performance in the sanitation programme, according to an official release. The award is given away by the Government to encourage a complete stop to open defecation as envisaged in the total sanitation programme by 2012.
The Panchayati Raj Institutions that have attained full sanitation coverage and completely eliminated the practise of open defection are awarded the prestigious Nirmal Gram Puraskar every year, the release said. The incentive amount is related to the population of the Panchayat concerned.
