Over 92 per cent rural houses do not have toilets in Jharkhand whereas 98 per cent of them have more than one cell-phone, according to the census data concerning Drinking Water and Sanitation Department.
Expressing concern over the fact, land and Revenue Minister Amar Bauri said under the Nirmal Bahrat Abhiyan (NBA) the Government is working in that direction and Jharkhand will achieve the status of an open defecation-free State. “At least 8000 toilets were constructed this year under NBA in Bokaro district only,” he added.
“Our Government is committed to achieve the open defecation-free State status earliest. Panchyats which will get 100 percent defecation-free status in open will get an award of sum of `One lakh across Bokaro.”
Bauri said women can perform a lead role in this move and urged them to create a pressure on their families to erect a toilet in their homes earliest. “By taking an oath to construct a toilet in our home, we should also bring a change in our behaviour in using it regularly. Recent research reveals that ‘Defecation in open’ also affects on our body’s growth as well as on height too,” said the minister.
“Our policy is also stressing community based sanitation approach keeping in mind about nearly 27 per cent tribal population and the one third area of the state covered by forest. The community led total sanitation is not to be focused simply on building infrastructure, but on changing cultural norms to prevent open defecation,” he added.