In a bid to have an open defecation free India by 2019, the Centre has now decided to conduct an annual survey of states to gauge their performance in implementing the ambitious ‘Swachh Bharat Abhiyan’ (Clean India Mission).
Depending on their performance in building toilets, the government will distribute the Rs 10,000 crore, borrowed from the World Bank, as an incentive.
According a report in The Economic Times, the Centre had on Wednesday told all the states that an annual survey will be conducted before releasing the funds over the next five years.
It should be noted that major opposition-ruled states like Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Tamil Nadu are way behind the target set by the government to construct toilets in villages. The BJP-ruled states like Gujarat, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Haryana have, however, met the target.
To measure the performance of states, the Centre will kick off the annual National Rural Sanitation Survey from August 15. The performance will be determined on the basis of three indicators -- first parameter is reduction in the prevalence of open defecation in households, based on access, usage and safety of toilets.
As per the guidelines of the Ministry of Statistics & Programme Implementation, the survey will be based on a third-party sample survey carried out by the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation.
“The idea is to make the incentive scheme possible and credible,” the Centre told to all the states.
As per World Bank statistics, of the 2.4 billion (Rs 240 crore) people who lack access to improved sanitation globally, more than 750 million (7500 lakh) live in India, with 80 per cent living in rural areas.
More than 500 million (5000 lakh) of the rural population in India continues to defecate in the open, suffering from preventable deaths, illness, stunting, harassment and economic losses.
