Under the ‘Swachch Bharat Abhiyan’ programme , the Modi Government proposes to cover every household by total sanitation by 2019. It will be a tribute to Mahatma Gandhi on his 150th birth anniversary, as the Government wants to celebrate it with a spick and span India.
The Mission has been announced in the backdrop of the infamous Badaun rape case which had highlighted lack of basic sanitation and toilet facilities in the rural areas particularly for women who have to relieve themselves in the open, leaving themselves vulnerable to crimes.
The goal set by the NDA Government is ambitious considering that the previous UPA regime had proposed to achieve 100 per cent access to sanitation for all rural households in the country by 2022 under the programme called Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan.
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said, “Although the Central Government is providing resources within its means, the task of total sanitation cannot be achieved without the support of all.”
In the 12th Plan an outlay of Rs 34,377 crore has been provided for rural sanitation as compared to Rs 6540 crore in the 11th Plan, which is a significantly higher allocation (425 per cent higher than the 11th Plan).
NBA is currently being implemented in 607 rural districts across the country. It envisages covering the entire community for saturated outcomes with a view to create Nirmal Gram Panchayats.