India has made progress in reducing open defecation rates: UN
9 years, 8 months ago

India has made progress in reducing open defecation rates: UN

The Hindu  

India has made “moderate” progress in reducing open defecation rates among its population and has succeeded in providing access to improved drinking water to more people in urban and rural areas, according to a UN report. The Joint Monitoring Programme report titled “Progress on Sanitation and Drinking Water: 2015 Update and MDG Assessment” released by the UN Children’s Fund and the World Health Organization said one in every three or 2.4 billion people on the planet are still without sanitation facilities, including 946 million people who defecate in the open. “The 31 per cent reduction in open defecation in India alone represents 394 million people and significantly influences regional and global estimates,” it said. With some 2.6 billion people having gained access since 1990, 91 per cent of the global population now have improved drinking water — and the number is still growing.

India Access Water Drinking Sanitation Report Open Cent Progress Improved Its Population Open Defecation Defecation Mdg Improved Drinking Water Open Defecation Rates  defecation  report  open  drinking  improved  india  sanitation  progress  water  cent  access  rates  reducing

History of this topic

From Open Defecation to ODF Plus: Swachh Bharat Mission's Remarkable Journey Towards Total Cleanliness
1 year, 5 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, 5 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, 5 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 …

Data | Another government survey debunks Swachh Bharat’s 100% ODF claim, count increases to four
2 years 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, 10 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, 10 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 …

Lessons from past sanitation policies for future efforts
3 years, 4 months 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 …

Swachh Bharat toilets alone won't end open defecation; practice persists due to caste norms, drainage woes
4 years ago

Swachh Bharat toilets alone won't end open defecation; practice persists due to caste norms, drainage woes

Firstpost  

In 1986, the Central government had launched the Central Rural Sanitation Programme — the first nationwide programme aimed at dealing with issues related to sanitation. On 2 October, 2019, Prime Minister Narendra Modi proclaimed that “rural India and its villages have declared themselves open defecation-free”, five years after the launch of the Centre’s flagship programme Swachh Bharat Mission. This ultimately …

Survey data again casts doubt over reality of open defecation-free India
4 years, 2 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, …

Is rural India 100% open defecation-free like Swachh Bharat data concludes?
5 years, 2 months 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 …

India’s toilet stats raise a stink
5 years, 3 months 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 …

Open defecation-free India: National Statistical Office survey debunks Swachh Bharat claims
5 years, 4 months 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 …

Toilet targets: On ending open defecation
5 years, 5 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, 5 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, 5 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, 5 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 …

PM Modi says rural India has declared itself open defecation free
5 years, 5 months ago

PM Modi says rural India has declared itself open defecation free

Live Mint  

New Delhi: Rural India has declared itself open defecation free, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Wednesday as he marked the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi at Sabarmati riverfront in Gujarat. “Today, rural India, its people, have declared themselves open defecation free,” Modi said. The National Democratic Alliance government launched the Swachh Bharat Mission in 2014 to make India …

Prime Minister Modi declares country open defecation-free
5 years, 5 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, 5 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 …

Economic Survey 2018-19: Private funds needed for Swachh Bharat
5 years, 8 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 …

Economic Survey: Many states became open defecation free since launch of Swachh Bharat
5 years, 8 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, 9 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. …

Few central government schemes that helped BJP in coming back to power with a greater mandate
5 years, 10 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. …

Over nine crore toilets built, 5.5 lakh villages declared open defecation free since 2014, govt tells Lok Sabha
6 years, 1 month 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
6 years, 2 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 …

Four years of Swachh Bharat: Open defecation down 26%, but toilet use doesn't match construction spree
6 years, 2 months 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 …

Open defecation continues unabated
6 years, 2 months ago

Open defecation continues unabated

The Hindu  

New research on the impact of the Swachh Bharat Mission in the rural parts of four northern States shows that while open defecation has fallen and toilet ownership has increased, the percentage of people who owned toilets but continued to defecate in the open has remained unchanged between 2014 and 2018. A working paper released on Friday shows that approximately …

Household sanitation coverage increased at 13 per cent in two years under ‘Swachh Bharat’ campaign: WHO
6 years, 4 months ago

Household sanitation coverage increased at 13 per cent in two years under ‘Swachh Bharat’ campaign: WHO

India TV News  

The World Health Organization on Sunday said India’s 'Swachh Bharat' campaign is a good example of how countries can make safe sanitation services accessible to all. Household sanitation coverage has increased at a rate of 13 per cent annually between 2016 and 2018 under the 'Swachh Bharat' programme, it said. In recent years, member states have made significant progress and …

Opinion | Making India open defecation free
6 years, 5 months ago

Opinion | Making India open defecation free

Live Mint  

For most of us, going to the toilet is as simple and natural as breathing. India’s sanitation crisis has, however, started to improve drastically ever since the launch of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘Swachh Bharat Abhiyan’. Apart from building more toilets, India needs to address the challenges that prevent it from achieving 100% open defecation free status. No matter how …

'Public participation has improved rural sanitation,' says Narendra Modi on Swachh Bharat Mission
6 years, 5 months ago

'Public participation has improved rural sanitation,' says Narendra Modi on Swachh Bharat Mission

Firstpost  

Narendra Modi addressed the concluding session of the Mahatma Gandhi International Sanitation Convention where Sanitation Ministers and other leaders in WASH were in attendance. New Delhi: Political leadership accompanied by public funding, partnership and people’s participation can help the world in achieving total sanitation, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Tuesday on the occasion of 149th birth anniversary of Mahatma …

From worst performer to best, Uttar Pradesh now aims to achieve ODF status a year before the national target
6 years, 9 months ago

From worst performer to best, Uttar Pradesh now aims to achieve ODF status a year before the national target

Op India  

The government of Uttar Pradesh has seen a massive overhaul in the implementation of schemes and achieving the set targets in various state and central government projects. According to a report in the Economic Times, the state government is now bracing itself to the task of building 20 lakh toilets every month till October 2nd this year. The Uttar Pradesh …

93% rural households with access to toilets use them, reveals national sanitation survey
7 years ago

93% rural households with access to toilets use them, reveals national sanitation survey

Firstpost  

Over 93 percent rural households which have access to toilets are using them and about 77 percent of houses in such areas have got toilets, the government- Over 93 percent of rural households that have access to toilets use them and around 77 percent of houses in such areas have toilets, the government- According to a report in The Times …

Many choose open defecation over PMC’s 50,000 toilets in Pune
7 years, 5 months ago

Many choose open defecation over PMC’s 50,000 toilets in Pune

Hindustan Times  

The Pune Municipal Corporation claims that it has built over 50,000 toilets in the city to make it ‘open defecation-free’. These include 43,739 individual toilets; 3,389 public toilets; 12 mobile toilets for women and 3,493 community toilet seats, according to Suresh Jagtap, additional commissioner and in-charge of solid waste management, PMC. “Based on the survey, we have constructed more than …

Toilet-Ek Prem Katha raises India’s open defecation crisis: Why it matters
7 years, 7 months ago

Toilet-Ek Prem Katha raises India’s open defecation crisis: Why it matters

India TV News  

Open defecation, the prevalent menace in many developing countries, plagues India also. With Akshay Kumar’s impending release Toilet: Ek Prem Katha, which also features Bhumi Pednekar, masses’ attention have been once again deviated towards the existing sanitation crisis in India. Let’s talk about the ‘Open Defecation Crisis’ in India and what the numbers have to say about it. Broader picture …

'Darwaza Band' campaign launched: Govt says two lakh villages in India open defecation-free, 64% toilets ready
7 years, 9 months ago

'Darwaza Band' campaign launched: Govt says two lakh villages in India open defecation-free, 64% toilets ready

Firstpost  

Union minister Narendra Singh Tomar said two lakh villages across the country have become open defecation free so far; in 2014, there were 44 percent toilets in the country, and this number has gone up to 64 percent Union minister Narendra Singh Tomar said two lakh villages across the country have become open defecation free so far. While we aim …

How India has been Modi-fied
8 years, 4 months ago

How India has been Modi-fied

Live Mint  

From digital connectivity to sanitation and child mortality, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s tenure has impacted day-to-day life for over 1.2 billion people. When Modi assumed office in May 2014, Sarika Saluja, project manager for India at the Singapore-based World Toilet Organization, expected “an affirmative action” in eliminating open defecation. “Changing the long-held habit of people is difficult but I think …

Most of rural India still opts for open defecation: NSS report
8 years, 11 months ago

Most of rural India still opts for open defecation: NSS report

The Hindu  

More than half the rural population of the country still opts for open defecation, says the recently released Swachhta Status Report by the National Sample Survey Office. The survey estimates that 52.1 per cent of people in rural India choose open defecation compared to 7.5 per cent in urban India. In the survey, 45.3 per cent rural households reported having …

Over 50 p.c. of people in India defecate in the open: Sanitation Minister
9 years, 1 month ago

Over 50 p.c. of people in India defecate in the open: Sanitation Minister

The Hindu  

“Over fifty per cent of the population defecates in the open in India which has highest number of people in the world indulging in the practice,” the Lok Sabha was informed on Thursday. As per Joint Monitoring Programme Report, 2015, 59.43 per cent of people defecating in open in the world are from India,” said Mr. Yadav, Minister of State …

A cry for help in India’s Bihar state: ‘We need a toilet desperately’
9 years, 2 months ago

A cry for help in India’s Bihar state: ‘We need a toilet desperately’

LA Times  

Kaliya Devi awakens at 4 a.m., fills a small bucket with water and walks 10 minutes to farmland outside her village in northern India. “Nothing has happened since then.” Sudha Varghese, the head of Nari Gunjan, said the government approved the toilet project but never provided money it promised for installation. “The administrators should directly deal with the villagers.” It …

Swachh Bharat: World Bank to lend US$1.5 bn to build toilets in India
9 years, 3 months ago

Swachh Bharat: World Bank to lend US$1.5 bn to build toilets in India

India TV News  

New Delhi: The World Bank has approved a loan of US$1.5 billion to help the government in its efforts to provide toilets in villages as part of the Swachh Bharat programme. “One in every 10 deaths in India is linked to poor sanitation,” said Onno Ruhl, World Bank country director for India. Low-income households bear the brunt of poor sanitation …

World Bank approves $1.5 billion to support clean India campaign
9 years, 3 months ago

World Bank approves $1.5 billion to support clean India campaign

India TV News  

New Delhi: In a major boost to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's clean india campaign, the World Bank has approved a $1.5 billion loan for the ambitious project in its efforts to ensure all citizens in rural areas have access to improved sanitation and end the practice of open defecation by 2019. As per World Bank statistics, of the 2.4 billion …

India's trouble with toilets: Government sanitation drives fail to sway those who believe going outdoors is more wholesome
9 years, 7 months ago

India's trouble with toilets: Government sanitation drives fail to sway those who believe going outdoors is more wholesome

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. “The government employee who constructed it told me we …

Mission Clean India: Building one latrine at a time
9 years, 9 months ago

Mission Clean India: Building one latrine at a time

Al Jazeera  

About 597 million Indians defecate in public, but a government vow to build new toilets has become a reality for many. “It will be the best way to honour Mahatma Gandhi on the 150th anniversary of his birth,” Modi said in one speech. “After all, the father of India was always clear on the issue.” Modi quoted Gandhi as saying: …

Bengal's Nadia district does its own 'Swachh Bharat' without extra funds
10 years, 2 months ago

Bengal's Nadia district does its own 'Swachh Bharat' without extra funds

India TV News  

Kolkata: West Bengal's Nadia district is poised to complete building toilets for all its residents by next March, under a programme which has been shortlisted for the United Nations global award for public service. Nadia district magistrate PB Salim said that 95 per cent of the people had already stopped defecating in the open and by this March they would …

Unused rural toilets to face public scrutiny
10 years, 2 months ago

Unused rural toilets to face public scrutiny

The Hindu  

The government proposes to mobilise public support for naming and shaming those not using toilets in rural India. The Ministry on Wednesday said people would be mobilised to check and verify the use of toilets in rural areas and could post photos or upload data through mobile phones or tablets. The monitoring system will give a big push to the …

Clean India 'a bit of hype', needs more details: Jairam Ramesh
10 years, 4 months ago

Clean India 'a bit of hype', needs more details: Jairam Ramesh

India TV News  

Bengaluru: Claiming that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ‘Swachh Bharat' has become a slogan and “a bit of hype”, Former Union Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh today said the programme also needs to address the issue of open defecation. “When I was the minister for sanitation we had started Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan, and its the objective was to end open defecation in …

Toilets on paper
10 years, 5 months ago

Toilets on paper

The Hindu  

In 2019, India will observe the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, who gave the clarion call, “Clean up your own mess.” But even 67 years after Independence, our cities and towns present a sorry picture replete with mounds of garbage, rotting sewers and children defecating in the open. The Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan will be a significant jump forward — …

Mere construction of toilets will not address India's sanitation woes: Study
10 years, 5 months ago

Mere construction of toilets will not address India's sanitation woes: Study

India TV News  

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi may be making construction of toilets a key issue in the first year of his office, but a recent study stated that mere building toilets will not solve the sanitation woes of India, which is considered to have world's worst record in spending money on building toilets. The study, which was recently published in …

Increased toilet coverage has little health impact: study
10 years, 5 months ago

Increased toilet coverage has little health impact: study

The Hindu  

Is building toilets improving health in India? In a paper published on Friday morning in the medical journal Lancet, >researchers led by Thomas Clasen of the U.S.-based Emory University found that increased toilet coverage did not lead to any significant improvements in the occurrence of child diarrhoea, prevalence of parasitic worm infections, child stunting or child mortality. For their study, …

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