A tribal woman from Maharashtra will be presented with the Swachh Shakti award for her efforts in making her area defecation-free on international women’s day. The award will be presented to her by PM Modi at an event in Gandhinagar on March 8, reports Mumbai Mirror.
In an effort to improve hygiene and cleanliness in her village, a seven-months pregnant Sushila Khurkute had initiated the construction of toilets in February.
Khurkute, a resident of Nandgaon village in Palghar, became the face of open defecation-free (ODF) project in Maharashtra after she single-handedly dug a pit for three continuous days to construct two toilet blocks under PM Modi’s Swachh Bharat campaign.
She was spotted by UNICEF volunteers who in turn contacted local zila parishad and informed them about her work. Following this, she was provided with building material and necessary tools to facilitate her project, reports Hindustan Times.
Her work was even appreciated by Parameswaran Iyer, secretary, Union ministry of drinking water and sanitation.