NEW DELHI: The urban development ministry has certified 10 towns – five each in Maharashtra and Telangana – as Open Defecation Free (ODF).The 10 towns are the first to be certified as the ministry begins the process of third party verification under Swachh Bharat Mission (Urban). The Ministry has got ODF claims of 11 towns independently verified by the Quality Council of India and certified the claims of ten of them as per the protocol evolved for such certification.The towns certified include Kagal, Panchgani, Vengurla, Murgud and Panhala in Maharashtra and Siddipet, Shadnaga, Suryapet, Achampet and Huzurnagar in Telangana. The claim of Bhongir in Telangana will be reassessed. A ward or city can be notified as ODF if, at any point of the day, not a single person is found to be defecating in the open.A total of 141 towns in 7 states have claimed to have become Open Defecation Free including 100 in Maharashtra. These claims are under verification. The progress of Swachh Bharat Mission in urban areas was presented by the As per the reports received from States so far in the Ministry, a total of 974 cities and towns will eliminate Open Defecation next year.These include - Andhra Pradesh (all 112 urban areas), Kerala (all 59), Gujarat (170 of 195), Uttar Pradesh (85 of 648), Madhya Pradesh (68 of 364), Karnataka (50 of 220), Chattisgarh (42 of 166), Assam (40 of 88), Telangana (37 of 68), Rajasthan (34 of 185), Tamil Nadu (25 of 721) and Jammu & Kashmir (22 of 86).