Rural India has declared itself Open Defecation free, PrimeMinister Narendra Modi said on Wednesday. Speaking at the Sabarmati River frontin Ahmedabad on Mahatma Gandhi's 150th birth anniversary, Modi also said theworld appreciated India for providing toilets to over 60 crore people.

"Today, rural India and its villages have declared themselves ODF. This the power and source of success of the ongoing 'Swachhta Abhiyan' (cleanliness drive) being run based on self-motivation and with public participation," he said in his address at the Sabarmati river front.Makingthe announcement, Modi said that this motivational place of Sabarmati has become the witness of this success.

The Modi government had launched the Swachh BharatMission-Gramin (SBM-G) from October 2, 2014 with an aim to achieve ODF India byOctober 2, 2019.