ODF Verification, Maharashtra

Post Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan, since 2014-15, Maharashtra state implementing Swachh Bharat Mission (G) in the state and covered almost six million households identified as households without toilet during Base Line Survey 2012. On achieving ODF status as per BLS 2012 by all Grampanchayats, state undertook first round of ODF verification process across all the GPs as per GoI guidelines and declared rural Maharashtra as Open Defecation Free (ODF) in April 2018. This behind the schedule achievement helped the state to address the issue of LOB as well as additional families to step forward towards universal sanitation coverage.
Now, GoI suggested having second round of verification to understand present sanitation status of the GPs declared ODF during first round of verification. In view of this and the big number of Grampanchayats to be verified, Maharashtra state decided to use mobile technology and capture real time data through mobile application pertaining to the ODF status of Grampanchayats.
Accordingly, mobile application is developed by Department of Water Supply and Sanitation, Government of Maharashtra and made available with the verification committees to facilitate verification task. The application developed for verification will save remarkable time in collecting, consolidating the data and also preparing verification reports. This introduction of application will also help in uploading the verification status on GoI portal within lesser time as compare to earlier approach.
We as a state, taken efforts to have Grampanchayat ODF status verification app more user friendly and should also help in planning the expected interventions to bridge the gaps observed during verification process if any. The mobile application has multiple sections and it covers the ODF status among households, institutions (schools, AWCs, Health Centers and Public Places etc.) App also helps in getting the basic information of the Grampanchayat such as demographic details, floating population etc.
We are very optimistic about this innovative step of using mobile technology for verification process. This approach will not only help in getting the verification process in time but will also help in reducing the burden of the field functionaries, increase accuracy and use this data largely in undertaking most appropriate and accurate sustainability majors at different levels.