West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has announced that the state’s rural areas are now free of open defecation, adding that her government’s next priority will be solid waste management. She made the announcement on Twitter on the night of August 2.

The mission

The state’s sanitation drive, called ‘Mission Nirmal Bangla’, has reached around 1.35 crore households in rural Bengal. Its stated goal was to make every village open defecation free (ODF) by October 2.

In her post, Banerjee said she was pleased to share the news and that the Government of India had confirmed the state’s achievement. She described the effort as part of a mission for a cleaner, greener environment and safer living.

What comes next

With the ODF target declared met, the chief minister said the focus would now shift to managing solid waste in the state. She did not give details of how that next phase would be carried out.

See also: political leaders | election news

Originally published on 3 August 2019. Rewritten on 9 October 2026.

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