Bindeshwar Pathak, International founder and chief of NGO Sulabh, has announced that an open defecation-free (ODF) village in north Indian state Rajasthan's Mewat region will be named after US President Donald Trump.
"I announce to name one village in India as Trump Village," Sulabh International founder said at a community event organised in the suburbs of Washington DC.
According to him, the move is part of his effort to enhance India-US relationship.
While giving a presentation to the local community and political leaders in the US, Pathak said that he is working to provide affordable sanitation and toilets to the masses in other to end the practice of manual scavenging in India.
In his address, he urged the Indian-American community to help realise the goal of sanitation and cleanliness in India. The cost of one toilet ranges from USD 25 to USD 500, depending on nature of construction. Technology remains the same, he said.
However, the Rajasthan government officials in a counter-statement, have said there is no such proposal with the government to rename any village after the name of the US president.
"It is the government which renames a village and there is laid down procedures for that. As of now, there is no such proposal with the department to name a village after the US president. I have nothing to comment on what Mr. Pathak has said," Alok, Rajasthan government's principal secretary of the revenue department, told PTI in Jaipur.
He added:
"The competence of renaming a village lies with the government and no private man can do that. We have no such proposal or request in this regard.''
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