Four reasons why Modi’s toilet obsession is good for India
Wednesday, September 10, 2014
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Swach Bharat scheme aims to eliminate open defecation by constructing toilets in every household by 2019. No one doubts the need for the programme.Close to 48% of India’s urban population has no access to toilets. In rural areas, the number stands at 60%.
“It is an ambitious plan and definitely the need of the hour,” said Bindeshwar Pathak, founder of the sanitation organisation Sulabh International. “However, the government will have to do it right, which will require comprehensive planning.”
A draft proposal prepared by the ministry revealed that the project envisages building 20 million toilets by 2015.
Already, officials at the Ministry for Drinking Water and Sanitation have warned that Modi’s plan will be near-impossible to complete. They claim that the government has neither the resources nor manpower to finish the project by 2019.