1. Home
2. Jammu

Rural Sanitation takes a major leap from 32% to 92%

Subodh Bhasin. Dated: 11/28/2018 11:43:28 AM

Subodh Bhasin
Jammu, Nov 27
As Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi described the Swachh Bharat Mission a mass movement that has ushered in a Swachhata Revolution across India and laid much emphasis towards rural sanitation, the sanitation coverage across rural India under the Swachh Bharat Mission has taken a leap leading to to 92 per cent as such India is stepping fast to become open defecation free (ODF) .
The world’s largest sanitation program has managed to change the behavior of so many people with respect to toilet usage; it is equally difficult to believe that this survey correctly represents the reality that confronts rural India.
As per the reports the sanitation coverage in rural areas was 39 per cent as in 2014, when the Swachh Bharat Mission was launched, significantly the construction of toilets is the largest behavioral change programme in the world. The theme ‘Swachhata Hi Seva’ in which the emphasis will be on reinforcing the concept of sanitation as everyone’s business was widely appreciated not only in India but also across the world and to achieve the desired re4sult all sections of society have actively contributed.
It is worthwhile to mention here that when the Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi, announced the Swachhata (cleanliness) campaign in his Independence Day speech of 2014, some believed that the scheme would be a photo-opportunity with very little progress. In the history of independent India, this is one scheme that the people of India snatched from the government and converted into a 'people's movement'.
Talking to Young Bites correspondent former deputy advocate general Dinesh Singh Jamwal said that as of now the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan is arguably the most successful one.
He further added that the prime minister had announced a target that India be made 'open-defecation free' when we celebrate 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi in 2019. The symbolism was appropriate since Gandhi ji had given a lot of emphasis on swachhata. As we have completed nearly four years of the scheme, 39 percent rural sanitation coverage has increased to a phenomenal 92 percent, which is indeed satisfactory and it is collective responsibility of every citizen to do whatever possible apart with government as it not an easy goal to achieve. This involved a behavioural change of the people. Many in the rural areas were initially reluctant.
Recently Arun Jaitely also said that government has used the resources for better infrastructure creation, social sector and Rural India. How else could we visualise villages being connected by Road, electricity in every home, 92% coverage for rural sanitation, a successful Awas Yojana, a cooking gas connection.