May 2013: NGP stands for Nirmal Gram Puraskar. To add vigour to the Total Sanitation Campaign (TSC) now called the Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan (NBA), in June 2003, GoI initiated an incentive scheme for fully sanitized and open defecation free Gram Panchayats, Blocks, and Districts called the Nirmal Gram Puraskar.

Thiruvanthapuram, Jan 22, 2013:  At long last, the State capital is ready for Nirmal status, by which it will join the list of districts that have been declared free of open defecation, a major challenge to State efforts to combat contagious diseases.
The work to get rid of a practice, which pointed accusing fingers at even the popular concept that the State was much ahead of others when it came to public hygiene, had begun more than a year ago with efforts to ensure latrines for all families and adequate numbers of public latrines.
The works in the capital distr

Total Sanitation Campaign (TSC) is a comprehensive programme to ensure sanitation facilities in rural areas with the broader goal to eradicate the practice of open defecation. To add vigour to the TSC, in October 2003, Government of India initiated an incentive scheme named the 'Nirmal Gram Puraskar’(NGP). NGP is given to those "open defecation free" Nirmal Gram Panchayats, Blocks, and Districts which have become fully sanitized.

Chennai, Nov. 20, 2012: Four years ago, the Vengaivaasal Village Panchayat won the Centre’s Nirmal Gram Puraskar for ensuring sanitation and awareness of hygiene.

Today, the garbage dumped by the local body on a stretch of the Medavakkam – Mambakkam Main Road is a source of major irritation to both residents of the vicinity and motorists.

Pune, Nov. 3, 2012: As many as 458 villages in Pune district are expected to apply for this year's Nirmal Gram award (total sanitation programme), a scheme introduced by the union government to encourage citizens to construct toilets at their homes.

The officials in the Zilla Parishad (ZP) said that workshops are being organised at every village to educate village representatives about the application procedures and criteria of the Nirmal Gram scheme.

Bangalore, Aug 17, 2012: As many as 103 gram panchayats will be presented with the Nirmal Gram Puraskar award by Governor H R Bhardwaj on Saturday.

The gram panchayats have been selected for the award as they were “100 per cent defecation free”, said Sanjeev Kumar, Principal Secretary, Rural Development and Panchayat Raj.

Addressing the media along with RDPR Minister K S Eshwarappa, Kumar said three districts in Karnataka, including Dakshina Kannada had been declared completely free of defecation.

Lucknow/Simla, June 8, 2012: Uttar Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh give contrasting pictures of the sanitation story in the country. While the latter swears by subsidised toilet building, the latter gave up the subsidy offer route long before. And, while UP is far away from total sanitation, the latter has declared itself Open Defecation Free.

Bhadeshar Mau, a village in Malihabad tehsil of Lucknow, was feted by the central government in 2008 for its work in sanitation. About Rs 3.5 lakh was spent in constructing toilets here. It has about 300 families.

Itanagar, April 21, 2012: Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Nabam Tuki has awarded Nirmal Gram Puraskar (NGP) to 17 gram panchayats from three districts - Lohit (14), Upper Subansiri (2) and Lower Dibang Valley (1).

Addressing the second NGP Award ceremony organized here yesterday, Tuki said it was only by ensuring better sanitation that the health of our countrymen could be improved and good health alone could ensure productivity, happiness and better quality of life in rural India.

Pune, Jan 24, 2012: The district falls way behind the target of 100 per cent sanitation status (i.e. toilets at every home) under the Nirmal Gram Yojana. Of the 1407 villages in the district, 947 are yet to achieve total sanitation status, even though the programme has been underway 2005-06. Only three villages have been selected for total sanitation status in 2010-11, which is the lowest since the inception of the programme.