As many as 13 panchayat presidents from Vellore district received the ‘Nirmal Gram Puraskar’ award.

The award is given by President of India to the presidents of panchayats that did well in maintaining hygiene in their respective villages by operating women sanitary complexes well, preventing open area defecation, maintaining school hygiene etc.

The state government would organise street plays and musical skits to spread awareness against open defecation and to encourage ruralfolk to construct toilets in their homes.

Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Minister H K Patil on Friday said six lakh community toilets would be constructed in rural areas during the current financial year.

The Centre has approved the state government’s Rs 10,392-crore plan for implementation of sanitation and waste management projects in rural areas.

Nearly 73 per cent households in rural India practice open defecation despite sanitation drives launched by the government, according to an independent evaluation by the Planning Commission.

Toilets are yet to be considered an integral part of houses in rural areas of Namakkal

Superstitious beliefs, religious sentiments and vasthu shastra are making construction of toilets in rural areas of Namakkal district in Tamil Nadu an uphill task. P. Aruna (32) and her husband Periyasamy (45), a truck driver of Parali panchayat, stopped constructing a toilet and filled up the leach pit with debris. “An astrologer came to our house and told us that we should not dig any pit or else our five-year-old boy will have a bad time,” the couple said.

As part of a programme being implemented by the Aruvankadu-based non governmental organisation, the Rural Development Organisation (RDO), to enhance awareness about the benefits of individual toilets among people in the rural parts of The Nilgiris district, a book titled ‘A Revolution in Sanitation in The Nilgiris’ was released here on Monday.

Participating as the chief guest, Marie Larose, director, Recruitment and Awards, York University, Canada, released the book.