MP Panchayat awarded for good work in sanitation

New Delhi, May 23 (UNI) A gram panchayat in district Indore in Madhya Pradesh was awarded Nirmal Gram Puraskar at the hands of President A P J Abdul Kalam at a function here today in recognition of its efforts to eliminate the practice of open defecation.

The award was recieved by Mr Seth Shankar Lal Sisodia, Sarpanch of village panchayat Bacchoda.

Mr Sisodia, whose panchayat was the first in Madhya Pradesh to bag this prize,gave credit for the prize to the efforts of villagers of Bacchoda.This honour had generated great enthusiasm and commitment for development efforts among the villagers, he said, adding 35 villagers had come to the national capital to share this honour.

In the village Bacchoda in Depalpur district, only a few out of the total 217 families enjoyed toilet facilities till recently.But now every household has a toilet because of the concerted efforts of the Panchayat in the last one and a half years. Besides the village can now boast of 25 gobar gas plants, clean streets and an improved drainage system.

Union Minister for Rural Development Raghuvansh Prasad Singh was present at the function along with his Ministers of State.

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