Making India an open defecation free Country

The Minister of State (Independent Charge) in the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation Sh. Bharatsinh Solanki in a Statement laid on the table of the Lok Sabha, informed members that Government of India administers the Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan (NBA), a comprehensive programme to ensure sanitation facilities in rural areas with the main objective of eradicating the practice of open defecation and ensuring clean environment.

The objective of NBA is to achieve sustainable behavior change with provision of sanitary facilities in entire communities in a phased, saturation mode with `Nirmal Grams` as outcomes.

The goal of NBA is that all gram Panchayats in the country attain Nirmal status by 2022. The goal of the Twelfth Plan is that 50 per cent of the Gram Panchayats attain Nirmal Gram Status by the year 2017. Solid and Liquid Waste Management (SLWM) is one of the integral components of NBA.

Since NBA is demand driven programme, hence no state-wise allocation is made. However, the central share released and expenditure reported under the Programme during each of the last three years and the current year, State/UT-wise is at Annexure-1.

As estimated by the Working Group set-up by Planning Commission to prepare the approach paper for the XIIth Plan, the estimated funds required to meet this target is Rs. 44116 crore.

Under Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan (NBA), following steps have been taken to accelerate sanitation coverage:-

· A shift from motivating individual household toilet construction to covering whole communities in a Gram Panchayat saturation mode for holistic sanitation outcomes.

· Adopting and implementing a National Sanitation and Hygiene Advocacy and Communication Strategy Framework for 2012-2017.

· A conjoint approach with National Rural Drinking Water Programme (NRDWP) to ensure water availability for sanitation in Gram Panchayats.

· Focusing of convergence of rural sanitation (NBA) with programmes of associated Ministries including Health, School Education, Women and Child Development.

· Recasting the component of Solid and Liquid Waste Management (SLWM) to a project mode approach in convergence with MGNREGS.

· The financial incentive for all eligible beneficiaries, for the construction of toilets, has been raised to Rs. 4600/- (Rs. 5100/- hilly and difficult areas), from the earlier amount of Rs. 3200/-.

· Additional provision of upto a ceiling of Rs.5400/- for construction of Individual Household Latrines (IHHLs) by convergence with Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MNREGS).

· Provision of incentives for the construction of IHHL extended to identified Above Poverty Line (APL) households (all SCs /STs, small and marginal farmers, landless labourers with homestead, physically handicapped and women-headed households).


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