Lok Sabha Question No. 1610 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2022-12-15
Subject: Open Defecation in Rural Areas
Ministry: JAL SHAKTI
Asked by: Vijay Kumar

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF JAL SHAKTI DEPARTMENT OF DRINKING WATER AND SANITATION

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. †1610 TO BE ANSWERED ON 15.12.2022

## Open Defecation in Rural Areas

## †1610. SHRI VIJAY KUMAR:

Will the Minister of JAL SHAKTI be pleased to state:

(a)  whether  people  including  women  are  reportedly  still  defecating  in  open  despite  toilets constructed in every household in rural areas;

- (b) if so, the details thereof and the reasons therefor;

(c)  whether  the  Government  proposes  any  campaign  to  spread  awareness  against  open defecation and if so, the details thereof; and

(d) whether any arrangement is being made to spread awareness at the block level and if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF JAL SHAKTI (SHRI PRAHLAD SINGH PATEL)

(a) to (d) Government of India had launched Swachh Bharat Mission (Grameen) [SBM(G)] on 2 nd October,  2014  with  the  goal  to  make  the  country  Open  Defecation  Free  (ODF)  by  2 nd October, 2019, by providing access to toilets to all the rural households.  Sanitation being the State subject, the programme is implemented by the State Governments/UTs.  Government of India provides technical guidance and financial support to the States/UTs by issuing advisories, guidelines and releasing grants-in-aid.  Under the programme, inter alia, apart from providing financial  incentive  to  the  beneficiaries  for  construction  of  individual  household  latrines (IHHLs), financial support is also provided for the Gram Panchayats to construct Community Sanitary  Complexes  (CSCs)  to  cater  to  the  sanitation  needs  of  households  who  do  not  have space  for  construction  of  IHHLs.    As  reported  by  the  States/UTs  on  the  online  Integrated Management  Information  System  of  SBM(G),  more  than  10  crore  IHHLs  were  constructed under the programme till 2019.  And, all the villages/districts had declared themselves ODF by 2 nd October,  2019.  The  States/UTs  were,  however,  advised  to  cover  any  left-out  households under the programme and to ensure that no one is left behind.

Phase-II of SBM(G) was launched with effect from 1 st April,  2020  with  focus  to  sustain  the ODF status and to cover all the villages with Solid and Liquid Waste Management (SLWM), i.e. to convert villages from ODF to ODF Plus, by 2024-25.   In order to ensure that no one is left  behind  in  having  access  to  toilets,  provisions  for  providing  financial  incentive  to  the beneficiaries  for  construction  of  IHHLs  for  new  households  or  any  left  out  households,  and financial  support  for  Gram  Panchayats  for  construction  of  CSCs,  on  need  basis,  have  been continued in Phase-II.

Sanitation primarily is a behavioral issue. It requires continuous engagement with community to adopt and practise safe sanitation behaviors.  Hence, under SBM(G), States/UTs have been advised  to  carry  out  regular  Information,  Education  and  Communication  (IEC)  campaigns including  Interpersonal  Communication  (IPC)  techniques,  at  all  levels  including  blocks  and gram  panchayats,  and  to  continuously  engage  with  people  and  community  focusing  on continuous usage of toilets.  Under the programme, upto 3% of total programmatic funds can be spent on IEC by the States and upto 2% can be used at the Central level.

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