Union Rural Development Minister Nitin Gadkari has asked the State Governments to resort to scientific measures to curb open defecation in the country and consider installing biodigesters or twin pits to dispose human waste.
In a letter to Chief Ministers, Gadkari has also asked them to consider segregation of non-bio-degradable waste, recycle plastics and treat sewage scientifically to make success the Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ambitious Clean India campaign, launched a month ago.
Gadkari, who also holds the portfolio of Drinking Water and Sanitation, had recently increased the individual assistance for individual household toilets from Rs10,000 to Rs12,000. Under the Swachchh Bbharat Abhiyan, States have been empowered to devise specific Open Defecation-Free India programme, and the Centre will only monitor outcome.
Appeal has also been made to launch advocacy and awareness campaign to trigger behavioral changes to promote use of toilets by rural families. The Government has also decided to allocate Rs20 lakhs to each panchayats for the successful implementation of programme that is to be completed on October 2, 2019, coinciding with the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. There are over 2,47,000 gram panchayats in the country. India accounts for almost 60 per cent of open defecations in the world, which has been described as “shameful” by many top Government functionaries and civil society activists.