Sikkim has been adjudged the cleanest among 26 states for sanitation in rural areas.

Its four districts have also been ranked among the top 10 districts in the country in sanitation and cleanliness according to the latest “Sw-achchh Survekshan Gram-in 2016” report released by the ministry of drinking water and sanitation.

Sikkim scored the highest ranking of 98.2 per cent on percentage of households having sanitary toilets. The state scored 100 per cent on percentage of people using household/ community toilets out of households having toilets.

Sikkim chief minister Pawan Chamling had launched the community-led sanitation campaign in 1999 for achieving total sanitation in the 7,096 sq km area of the state, covering both rural and urban areas in all four districts.

Following the campaign, all 6,10,577 inhabitants in Sikkim have toilets with high sanitation and hygiene standards.

Sikkim is also the only state to achieve open defecation-free status in the country so far. “All the 446 Sikkim villages have been declared as open defecation-free villages as per the guidelines of the ministry of drinking water and sanitation,” said chief minister Chamling, adding, “A certificate to this effect was awarded by PM Narendra Modi during the 65th plenary session of the Northeast Council on May 27, 2016 at Shillong, Meghalaya.”

According to a report released by the ministry, all four districts of Sikkim have been ranked among the top 10 districts of the country among 75 best performing districts in rural India, which were evaluated at different levels of cleanliness, hygiene and sanitation under Swachh Survekshan 2016.

The west, east, south and north Sikkim districts scored 96.4, 93.7, 93.0 and 90.7, respectively, on a scale of 100 marks under the Swachchh Survekshan 2016 rankings among 53 best performing districts in plains states and 22 best performing districts in the Northeast and special category states selected by the ministry.

Mr Chamling added that 2,682 schools had been covered under the total sanitation programme to benefit girl children and boys in government schools. The Sikkim state government has been made it mandatory to have functional sanitary toilets at homes for candidates filing nominations for contesting panchayat elections.

Also, for availing of any kind of benefit and grants from the government, a household has to have a functional sanitary toilet, an official statement said.