Survey data again casts doubt over reality of open defecation-free India
3 years, 11 months ago

Survey data again casts doubt over reality of open defecation-free India

Live Mint  

In late 2019, the Narendra Modi government attempted to delay and then discredit an official survey that showed sanitation coverage was far lower than it was claimed. Another major government survey has now confirmed the trend: in five states, over one-third of the rural population still lack exclusive access to ‘improved’ sanitation for their households. By the end of 2020, the mission’s dashboard claimed that over 99% rural households had access to an exclusive toilet, and most villages had been declared open defecation free. An unusual caveat preceded these findings: “It may be noted that there may be respondent bias in the reporting of access to latrine as question on benefits received by the households from government schemes was asked prior to the question on access of households to latrine.” Explaining in an op-ed later, chief statistician of India Pravin Srivastava suggested that the respondents could be lying to surveyors despite having toilets, so that they could claim benefits from the government. “It looks like most rural Biharis still don't use improved sanitation in the NFHS-5, and.that means that probably about half of rural Biharis defecate in the open,” Spears said.

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History of this topic

Transforming Rural India: A Decade of the Swachh Bharat Mission
3 months, 1 week ago

Transforming Rural India: A Decade of the Swachh Bharat Mission

Hindustan Times  

A decade of the Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) has yielded unprecedented gains in India, with the country achieving a significant milestone of 100% rural sanitation coverage. The mission, launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2014, has transformed India's sanitation landscape, leading to a significant reduction in open defecation and improved public health. The SBM has also had a positive …

In Surat’s turnaround in sanitation, a story of hope
11 months ago

In Surat’s turnaround in sanitation, a story of hope

Hindustan Times  

The ascendance of Surat as the cleanest city in India, announced last month, has multiple narratives. First, it makes the chaotic task of city sanitation an achievable goal for India’s 5,000 urban local bodies. The cleanest city tag is no longer the exclusive preserve of Indore, which lifted the crown with predictable regularity soon after Swachh Survekshan was instituted by …

Embracing Incremental Steps for Monumental Sanitation Reforms
1 year, 1 month ago

Embracing Incremental Steps for Monumental Sanitation Reforms

News 18  

To understand the role of sanitation on our behavior and lives, it is pertinent to know about the broken window theory. The Bharat story, it’s tryst with building a movement around sanitation through Swachh Bharat Abhiyan stems out as a tale of triumph in the war field of mind and habits. The Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, initiated by our Honorable Prime …

World Toilet Day: An Occasion To Mark India’s Progress
1 year, 1 month ago

World Toilet Day: An Occasion To Mark India’s Progress

News 18  

The World Toilet Day, marked on November 19 every year, is a significant day for India. This was the state of our affairs that led Shri Narendra Modiji to issue a clarion call for sanitation to become the nation’s foremost priority in his first Independence Day address as the Prime Minister. 130 crore citizens rose up in response to script …

From Open Defecation to ODF Plus: Swachh Bharat Mission's Remarkable Journey Towards Total Cleanliness
1 year, 3 months ago

From Open Defecation to ODF Plus: Swachh Bharat Mission's Remarkable Journey Towards Total Cleanliness

News 18  

The Uttar Pradesh government, during the second phase of the Swachh Bharat Mission, proudly announced that all of its 95,767 villages had attained the ODF Plus status, marking a remarkable 100 per cent success rate for the state. Over 4.43 lakh villages, which is 75 per cent of all Indian villages, have voluntarily proclaimed their ODF Plus status, marking a …

Despite early gains of Swachh Bharat Mission, toilet use declining since 2018-19: World Bank paper
1 year, 3 months ago

Despite early gains of Swachh Bharat Mission, toilet use declining since 2018-19: World Bank paper

The Hindu  

A departmental working paper by the World Bank on the progress of the Swacch Bharat Mission - Gramin has now found that despite “breathtaking” gains made by the programme to bring toilet access to rural India since 2014-15, when it began, there has been a clear trend of regular toilet use declining in rural India from 2018-19 onwards, with the …

42% Urban Indians Believe Availability of Public Toilets Has Improved: Survey - News18
1 year, 3 months ago

42% Urban Indians Believe Availability of Public Toilets Has Improved: Survey - News18

News 18  

As India marks nine years of Swachh Bharat Mission today, 42% urban citizens believe that availability of public toilets has improved since the start of the campaign, according to a LocalCircles survey. ‘30% URBAN INDIANS SEE SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT’ The survey sought to know from citizens: ‘How has the availability of functional public toilets in your district/ city improved in the …

Linear regression: The Hindu Editorial on the government’s response to data on its policies
1 year, 5 months ago

Linear regression: The Hindu Editorial on the government’s response to data on its policies

The Hindu  

Even as the Union government suggests that there were prima facie reasons for the suspension of the Director of the International Institute for Population Sciences, K.S. Other surveys, i.e., the National Statistical Office survey from October 2018, the National Annual Rural Sanitation Survey of 2019-20 and the Multiple Indicator Survey released earlier this year, also indicated that many villages were …

Top-notch ‘aspirational’ toilets to usher in change
1 year, 8 months ago

Top-notch ‘aspirational’ toilets to usher in change

The Hindu  

A quarter of all new public restrooms in Indian cities will soon have high-end features such as luxurious bath cubicles, touchless flushing, breast-feeding rooms, and automatic sanitary napkin incinerators. “A directive has been sent to all State governments to ensure that henceforth 25% of public toilet seats added in any city or urban unit are ‘aspirational toilets’,” sources in the …

Data | Another government survey debunks Swachh Bharat’s 100% ODF claim, count increases to four
1 year, 9 months ago

Data | Another government survey debunks Swachh Bharat’s 100% ODF claim, count increases to four

The Hindu  

Yet another recently released government survey has called into question the Central government’s claim in 2019 that all Indian villages are open defecation-free. For instance, according to data from the Swachh Bharat Mission, Gramin portal, villages in Madhya Pradesh and Tamil Nadu were declared 100% ODF by October 2018. However, according to NSO data, only 71% and 62.8% of rural …

Data | Over 25% rural households defecate in the open in contrast to Swachh Bharat data
2 years, 7 months ago

Data | Over 25% rural households defecate in the open in contrast to Swachh Bharat data

The Hindu  

On October 2, 2019, all the villages in the 36 States and Union Territories of India were declared open defecation-free. Among rural Scheduled Tribe households, 65% had access to toilets, whereas more than 85% of non-Scheduled Caste, non-ST and non-Other Backward Classes households did. Click to remove AMP mode State-wise share The chart depicts the State-wise share of households in …

19% households do not use any toilet facility: NFHS survey
2 years, 7 months ago

19% households do not use any toilet facility: NFHS survey

Firstpost  

However, the report said the percentage of households practising open defecation decreased from 39 percent in 2015-16 to 19 per cent in 2019-21 New Delhi: Even though India was declared Open Defecation Free by the government in 2019, the latest NFHS survey conducted in 2019-21 showed that 19 per cent of households do not use any toilet facility. However, the …

Decoding India's 100% ODF Status
3 years ago

Decoding India's 100% ODF Status

News 18  

The Central government has recently rolled out Swachh Bharat Mission 2 after an unprecedented success of the first phase. In the first phase of Swachh Bharat Mission over 11 crore toilets were built in rural India in five years from 2014-2019. Today when the country has been declared free from open defecation, challenges like non-functioning toilets, inadequate drainage and sewerage …

Lessons from past sanitation policies for future efforts
3 years, 1 month ago

Lessons from past sanitation policies for future efforts

Live Mint  

The United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal No. And yet, despite decades of national sanitation policies, data from the fifth National Family Health Survey indicates that India is far from achieving it. It is thus important to understand the evolution of India’s sanitation policies and lessons that will help India frame revised sanitation policies and achieve SDG 6 by 2030. The …

Data | Three government surveys debunk Swachh Bharat's 100% ODF claim
4 years ago

Data | Three government surveys debunk Swachh Bharat's 100% ODF claim

The Hindu  

What is the share of the rural population in India that is not defecating in the open? The National Annual Rural Sanitation Survey The second comparison is between the SBM data on individual household latrine coverage as of March 2019 and the National Annual Rural Sanitation Survey data on rural households with access to their own toilets between Nov. 2019 …

Is rural India 100% open defecation-free like Swachh Bharat data concludes?
5 years ago

Is rural India 100% open defecation-free like Swachh Bharat data concludes?

The Hindu  

On October 2, 2019, all the villages in the 36 States and Union Territories of India were declared open defecation-free. image/svg+xml % villages ODF as of March 2018 100 90 80 70 60 50 0 20 40 60 80 100 % rural houses with latrine access as of Oct. '18 Rajasthan Tamil Nadu Gujarat M.P. Bihar Mahrashtra 0102030405060708090100 ODF Status …

Hyderabad: Poor feel toilets are for the rich – Unicef expert
5 years ago

Hyderabad: Poor feel toilets are for the rich – Unicef expert

Deccan Chronicle  

HYDERABAD: Behavioural change among people is important for India to achieve the status of being a country free from open defecation, an issue that continues to be a challenge. Now that 10 crore toilets have been additionally built, along with the earlier six crore of them, people must start using them. Hence the effort in rural areas has been to …

India’s toilet stats raise a stink
5 years ago

India’s toilet stats raise a stink

Live Mint  

India’s villages are now officially open defecation free, according to those who were assigned this target: the sanitation department, now subsumed under the Jal Shakti ministry. The 76th NSS round conducted by the National Statistical Organization found that as of September 2018, 28.7% of India’s rural households lacked access to toilets and 32% practised open defecation. In case of the …

Sanitation status: Centre flags likely respondent bias in NSO survey
5 years, 1 month ago

Sanitation status: Centre flags likely respondent bias in NSO survey

The Hindu  

Citing the National Statistical Office’s caveat on the possibility of respondent bias on the issue of access to toilets due to the order of questions asked in its latest survey on sanitation, the Centre has said it is “inappropriate to use the results of this report to draw conclusions on the sanitation status in India”. Respondents were initially asked whether …

Open defecation-free India: National Statistical Office survey debunks Swachh Bharat claims
5 years, 1 month ago

Open defecation-free India: National Statistical Office survey debunks Swachh Bharat claims

The Hindu  

The latest National Statistical Office survey on sanitation debunked the claims of an open defecation-free or ODF India made by the Centre’s flagship Swachh Bharat scheme, although it did record great progress in toilet access and use in rural areas. In Gujarat, which was one of the earliest States declared ODF, back in October 2017, almost a quarter of all …

World Toilet Day 2019: PM Modi applauds nation's efforts towards sanitation
5 years, 1 month ago

World Toilet Day 2019: PM Modi applauds nation's efforts towards sanitation

India TV News  

PM Narendra Modi's personal website and app's Twitter handle celebrate India's extraordinary feat of work in sanitation. November 19 has been marked as the World's toilet day United Nations to inspire action to tackle the global sanitation day. The tweet read, "Today is #WorldToiletDay, a day to remember India’s feats in the domain of safe sanitation that has made it …

India declared open defecation free, but in Mumbai's Mahim, slum residents face a different reality
5 years, 2 months ago

India declared open defecation free, but in Mumbai's Mahim, slum residents face a different reality

Firstpost  

India was declared open defecation free by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in an address from the Sabarmati riverfront in Ahmedabad on the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. To them, the promise of a clean toilet is an election special, and the government’s claim of the country becoming open defecation free “a lie”. I say, carry out the Swachh Bharat …

CSE questions sustainability of Swachh Bharat Mission's public toilet initiative
5 years, 3 months ago

CSE questions sustainability of Swachh Bharat Mission's public toilet initiative

Firstpost  

The group asked how will these toilets be kept functional and waste generated be disposed of efficiently. The Centre for Science and Environment has questioned the sustainability of the government’s Swachh Bharat Mission and raised concerns over the maintenance of the nearly 100 million toilets constructed under the ambitious programme. India has built 100 million toilets in about six lakh …

Toilet targets: On ending open defecation
5 years, 3 months ago

Toilet targets: On ending open defecation

The Hindu  

India’s declaration on the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi that its rural areas are now open defecation-free will be acknowledged around the world as a milestone in its developmental journey. That 110 million toilets were built under this programme since then counts as an achievement in itself, even though many of these structures have been bootstrapped to ramshackle dwellings; …

Experts Question Government’s Claim of India Becoming ODF-Free
5 years, 3 months ago

Experts Question Government’s Claim of India Becoming ODF-Free

The Quint  

CSE director general Sunita Narain said till five years ago, India was home to 60 percent of the world's people who defecated in the open. "If the nation now achieves ODF status, it means a huge leap forward not only for it, but for the world as a whole. It will take the world a long way on its sustainable …

Opinion | Aaj Ki Baat October 2 episode: Modi fulfills one big promise, an open defecation free India
5 years, 3 months ago

Opinion | Aaj Ki Baat October 2 episode: Modi fulfills one big promise, an open defecation free India

India TV News  

More than five years ago, on August 15, 2014, Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his first address to the nation from the ramparts of historic Red Fort, vowed to fulfill Mahatma Gandhi's dream of a clean India on his 150th birth anniversary in 2019. October 2 this year was, in a sense, a day of celebration for Indian womanhood, as …

'India is open defecation free': Experts question govt claim, say scheme is ‘archaic’, people might slip back to their old habit
5 years, 3 months ago

'India is open defecation free': Experts question govt claim, say scheme is ‘archaic’, people might slip back to their old habit

Firstpost  

New Delhi: Experts on Wednesday questioned the government’s claim of the country becoming open defecation free, saying the data used for measuring the success of the scheme is “archaic” and people might be slipping back to their old habit. Speaking at the Swachch Bharat Diwas programme in Ahmedabad, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said rural India and its villages are now …

Prime Minister Modi declares country open defecation-free
5 years, 3 months ago

Prime Minister Modi declares country open defecation-free

The Hindu  

On the occasion of the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared the country open defecation-free, claiming success for the government’s initiative under which every household now apparently has access to a toilet. I feel lucky that on this occasion, when India has successfully stopped open defecation, I’m here at the ashram,” the Prime Minister wrote …

Tamil Nadu 100 per cent free of open defecation, reveals data
5 years, 3 months ago

Tamil Nadu 100 per cent free of open defecation, reveals data

India TV News  

Tamil Nadu has achieved 100 per cent Open Defecation Free status as per data uploaded on the Swachh Bharat Mission website. According to the data, a total of 53,46,613 toilets have been built in the state since after the announcement, an increase of 51.65 per cent in the number of households with toilets. The objectives of the Mission are elimination …

PM Modi to declare India open defecation-free on October 2: Gujarat Deputy CM
5 years, 3 months ago

PM Modi to declare India open defecation-free on October 2: Gujarat Deputy CM

The Hindu  

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will declare the country open defecation-free on the occasion of the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi on October 2. Mr. Modi will make the declaration in the presence of over 20,000 village heads at a function at the Sabarmati Riverfront here during his visit to Gujarat, Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel said on Wednesday. Our …

How Swachh Bharat Mission helped millions live with dignity
5 years, 3 months ago

How Swachh Bharat Mission helped millions live with dignity

India TV News  

Launched five years ago, the Swachh Bharat Mission announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi is on the verge making India a completely open defecation free, enabling people to embrace change and live their lives with dignity. When Modi visits the US later in September, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation will honour the success of Swachh Bharat Mission that has …

How Swachh Bharat Mission helped millions live with dignity
5 years, 3 months ago

How Swachh Bharat Mission helped millions live with dignity

The Quint  

New Delhi, Sep 15 Launched five years ago, the Swachh Bharat Mission announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi is on the verge making India a completely open defecation free, enabling people to embrace change and live their lives with dignity. When Modi visits the US later in September, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation will honour the success of Swachh …

10 crore toilets built under Swachh Bharat Mission: President Ram Nath Kovind
5 years, 4 months ago

10 crore toilets built under Swachh Bharat Mission: President Ram Nath Kovind

India TV News  

Around 10 crore toilets have been built under the Swachh Bharat Mission, and with this there has been a change in the attitude of 55 crore people who have ceased the practise of defecating in open, President Ram Nath Kovind said on Friday. Recalling the Mahatma Gandhi International Sanitation Convention held in 2018, he said several countries want to learn …

Nearing completion Swachh Bharat Mission sees cut in allocation: Official
5 years, 5 months ago

Nearing completion Swachh Bharat Mission sees cut in allocation: Official

India TV News  

Governments much publicised Swachh Bharat Mission aims to enhance the level of sanitation in India and make the country open defecation free seems to be on its way out making way as other important schemes on solid waste management and drinking water is expected to get higher funding. Swachh Bharat Mission which was an election plank in 2014-15 as a …

Economic Survey 2018-19: Private funds needed for Swachh Bharat
5 years, 6 months ago

Economic Survey 2018-19: Private funds needed for Swachh Bharat

The Hindu  

With the Centre claiming that 99.2% of rural India is now open defecation free, the next big goal on the Swachh Bharat journey is the 100% safe and scientific disposal of solid and liquid waste, according to the Economic Survey 2018-19. However, it emphasises that the large resources needed to reach this milestone will need to be met through crowd …

Swachh Bharat Mission improved health and nutrition: Economic Survey
5 years, 6 months ago

Swachh Bharat Mission improved health and nutrition: Economic Survey

Live Mint  

New Delhi: Touting the Swachh Bharat Mission as one of the largest cleanliness drives in the world, the Economic Survey 2018-19 released on Thursday said the programme has significantly reduced still births, diarrheal and malarial deaths. After becoming Open Defecation Free, several villages have witnessed a reduction in deaths due to diarrhoea, malaria especially in under-five children, still births and …

Economic Survey: Many states became open defecation free since launch of Swachh Bharat
5 years, 6 months ago

Economic Survey: Many states became open defecation free since launch of Swachh Bharat

The Hindu  

Many states have achieved 100% open defecation free status and individual household latrine coverage since the launch of Swachh Bharat Mission, one of the largest cleanliness drives in the world, the Economic Survey 2018-19 said Thursday. The survey document, tabled in Parliament, said since the launch of the flagship programme in October 2014, over 9.5 crore toilets have been built …

Uptick for India on sanitation in UN report
5 years, 6 months ago

Uptick for India on sanitation in UN report

The Hindu  

India has made great gains in providing basic sanitation facilities since the start of the millennium, accounting for almost two thirds of the 650 million people globally who stopped practising open defecation between 2000 and 2017. “India’s Swachh Bharat mission has been an example and inspiration to other countries, especially in Africa, but also East and South Asia,” said Mr. …

Study by UNICEF reveals considerable reduction in groundwater and soil contamination due to Swachh Bharat Mission
5 years, 7 months ago

Study by UNICEF reveals considerable reduction in groundwater and soil contamination due to Swachh Bharat Mission

Op India  

A UNICEF study launched on the World Environment Day 2019, has revealed that ‘Swachh Bharat’ initiative under Prime Minister Narendra Modi has considerably reduced groundwater contamination in Open Defecation Free regions. Another study launched on the same day by Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation confirmed that ‘Swachh Bharat Abhiyan’ scheme had mobilized around Rs 23,000 crore for creating awareness on …

Few central government schemes that helped BJP in coming back to power with a greater mandate
5 years, 7 months ago

Few central government schemes that helped BJP in coming back to power with a greater mandate

Op India  

In a historic win, the BJP clinched a total of 303 seats in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections and a total of 353 seats for the BJP led NDA. According to the official government website, since 2nd October 2014 more than 9 crore toilets have been built achieving an overall 99.17% of access to toilets in rural households till date. …

93% of rural households now have access to toilets, over 9 crore toilets built under Swachh Bharat Mission
5 years, 10 months ago

93% of rural households now have access to toilets, over 9 crore toilets built under Swachh Bharat Mission

Op India  

Under the NDA government’s flagship scheme the ‘Swachh Bharat Abhiyan’, over 93 percent of rural households in India now have access to toilets out of which around 96.5 percent households have used the facility. A national survey, conducted by an Independent Agency under the World Bank support to #SwachBharatMission, has found that 93.4% of households in rural India who have …

Over nine crore toilets built, 5.5 lakh villages declared open defecation free since 2014, govt tells Lok Sabha
5 years, 11 months ago

Over nine crore toilets built, 5.5 lakh villages declared open defecation free since 2014, govt tells Lok Sabha

Firstpost  

More than nine crore toilets have been constructed across the country, while over 5 lakh villages have been declared ODF till 5 February this year under the Swachh Bharat Mission-Gramin, govt tells Lok Sabha New Delhi: More than nine crore toilets have been constructed across the country till 5 February this year under the Swachh Bharat Mission-Gramin launched in 2014, …

Swachh Bharat Mission: How tulsi saplings, rangolis helped Odisha's Ganjam district in ending open defecation
5 years, 11 months ago

Swachh Bharat Mission: How tulsi saplings, rangolis helped Odisha's Ganjam district in ending open defecation

Firstpost  

The Ganjam district administration, roped in women self-help groups and swacchagrahis to take an innovative way to ward off open defecation. To tackle the localised issue, the district administration, based on the inputs from many locals, roped in women self-help groups and swacchagrahis to take an innovative way to ward off open defecation. Many SHGs soon started planting Tulsi plants …

Swachh Bharat Mission in Bihar stumbling due to govt corruption and slow construction of toilets, say villagers
6 years ago

Swachh Bharat Mission in Bihar stumbling due to govt corruption and slow construction of toilets, say villagers

Firstpost  

Patna: The progress of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s much-hyped programme to make the country open defecation free under Swachh Bharat Mission has been lackadaisical in Bihar, so much so that the evidence is in plentiful supply outside the capital city of Patna. Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi, speaking at an event in Patna recently, said the state would be …

Four years of Swachh Bharat: Open defecation down 26%, but toilet use doesn't match construction spree
6 years ago

Four years of Swachh Bharat: Open defecation down 26%, but toilet use doesn't match construction spree

Firstpost  

Almost a 23 percent of those who own a latrine defecated in the open, a figure that has remained unchanged since the Swachh Bharat Mission was launched in 2014. New Delhi: More Indians living in villages owned a latrine in 2018 than four years ago, yet 44 percent of them still defecate in the open, according to a survey covering …

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