Soon to achieve century! Rural sanitation coverage jumped to 99% from 38% in 2014

New Delhi, July 5: Showing the increasing graph in household toilets construction, Government said, under Swachh Bharat Mission (Gramin), 9 crores 62 lakh individual household toilets have been constructed so far. MoS for Jal Shakti Rattan Lal Kataria in Lok Sabha said, “The sanitation coverage in the rural areas of the country has increased to more than 99 percent, which was over 38 percent on 2nd October 2014.”

 

He also said, 632 Districts, 30 States, over 2.50 lakh Gram Panchayats and five lakh 67 thousand 498 villages have been declared open defecation free.

Swachh Bharat Mission has helped reduce diarrhea and malaria among children below five years, stillbirth and low birth weight (newborn with weight less than 2.5 kgs). This effect is particularly; pronounced in districts where Individual household Latrine (IHHL) coverage was lower is 2015.

As on 14 June 2019, 30 States/UTs are 100 percent covered with IHHL. SBM has significantly improved health outcomes.

SBM is one of the largest cleanliness drives in the world and has brought in a remarkable transformation and traceable health benefits. The focus under this mission has not just been on construction of toilets but also on effecting a behavioral change in the communities. The result has been substantial gains in health parameters as shown by various studies. The gains from the cleaner India are important inputs, directly as well as indirectly, for achieving broader economic development objectives.