Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Manohar Lal today underscored country’s remarkable progress in sanitation and hygiene under the Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) saying that 11 crore toilets have been built across the country. Addressing the inaugural ceremony of three day World Toilet Summit on the occasion of World Toilet Day in New Delhi, the Minister said, construction of toilets is a major milestone that has transformed public health and dignity in rural and urban India. He said that all villages, districts and states were declared Open Defection Free (ODF) in 2019. Mr Manohar Lal also said the government is now focused on making the nation ODF plus. He said the cleanliness movement have brought a change in people’s behaviour towards sanitation.
During the event, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs also launched Toilet Paas Hai and Main Saaf Hi Achha Hoon – a year-long advocacy drive to champion responsible toilet use. The Ministry said that this drive is aimed at promoting responsible toilet use and hygiene habits across communities. The Ministry also launched the Swachh Aadatein which is a 21 days curriculum for children to develop good sanitation habits at an early stage.
Speaking on the ocassion, Jal Shakti Minister CR Patil highlighted the transformative impact of toilets on the lives of women, stressing that toilet construction has strengthened women dignity, safety, pride, and honour. He added that with access to clean and safe toilets, annual deaths caused by diarrhoea have been prevented, saving the lives of nearly three lakh children every year. The Minister said that 15 crore houses are getting clean water under Nal se Jal scheme. He also said that government will not tolerate any irregularities in the water supply system. He said that government is working towards accessibility of good quality water in every household.
