For the first time, the National Sample Survey Organisation (NSSO) will conduct annual sanitation survey dedicated to Swachchh Bharat Abhiyan launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on October 2 this year.
Sources in the Union Water and Sanitation Ministry said that the survey will be conducted with an aim to assess the sanitation habits of the people as well to analyse the impact of the Swachchh Bharat Abhiyan in the rural as well as urban areas. Prime Minister Office is personally supervising the progress of the Mission, said the sources. The sources said that the NSSO plan is in a very nascent stage and details of the survey and questions proposed to be asked by the respondents is still being worked out.
The National Sample Survey Organisation (NSSO), now known as National Sample Survey Office, is an organisation under the Union Ministry of Statistics. It is the largest organisation in India conducting regular socio-economic surveys.The sources further said that no more school and aganwadi toilets will be sanctioned under the Mission as the Ministry is more keen to ensure that the targets already set for the States are met within the deadline ie 2019.
While the Union Urban Development Ministry will be the nodal agency responsible for monitoring and supervision of the mission in across all the 4,041 statutory towns, the Drinking Water and Sanitation Ministry will have the same responsibility for rural areas. The mission has been divided into two sub categories — gramin (rural) and urban. The Swachchh Bharat programme includes elimination of open defecation, conversion of insanitary toilets to pour flush toilets, eradication of manual scavenging, municipal solid waste management and bringing about a behavioural change in people. The total expected cost of the programme is Rs62,000 crore, as per the Government.