NEW DELHI, Dec 1: Government has spent over USD 3 billion on constructing toilets across the country but the sanitation campaigns are yet to achieve success with nearly 60 per cent rural households lacking toilet facilities.
With the effort put into the sanitation programme, the coverage in rural areas has gone up from one per cent in 1981 to 32.70 per cent as per Census 2011, and to 40.60 per cent as per National Sample Survey Office report 2012.
“As per NSSO report 2012, 59.4 per cent rural households do not have toilet facilities,” Minister of State for Drinking Water and Sanitation Ram Kripal Yadav told Rajya Sabha said in his reply to a question.
Government has spent over USD 3 billion on constructing toilets across the country and despite such a massive investment, India’s sanitation campaigns over the years have unfortunately yielded limited results, the Minister said.
Yadav said under the Swachh Bharat Mission (Gramin), the total fund requirement for construction of toilets, Solid Liquid Waste Management projects and associated activities is estimated to be Rs 1,34,386 crore, out of which central share is Rs 1,00,447 crore.
He said resources for the Swachh Bharat Mission (Gramin), launched on October 2 this year, to be made available inter-alia through budgetary allocations, contributions to the Swachh Bharat Kosh and commitments under Corporate Social Responsibility.
The Mission is launched at attaining a Open Defecation Free India by 2019.
Yadav also said a number of individual toilets constructed under the previous Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan in different states have become unusable for various reasons. (PTI)
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