Govt hikes support for building toilets
8 Jun 2012 1:09 AM GMT
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs gave its nod to increase the amount for construction of an individual household toilet from the existing Rs 4,600 to Rs 10,000. In order to achieve total sanitation in the country within next 10 years, the government also scrapped the distinction of Below Poverty Line (BPL) and Above Poverty Line (APL) households for claiming this benefit.
After the cabinet's approval , the centre will now contribute Rs 3,200, the state Rs1, 400 and the family in whose house the toilet is built will spend Rs 900 per toilet. The biggest chunk of funding of Rs 4,500 crore will come from the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) funds.
Earlier Rs 2,100 was the share of centre, while the states pad Rs 1,000. The individuals who benefitted from these toilets used to dole out Rs 300 and funding from MGNREGA was Rs1,200.
'State governments had complained that the earlier amount was insufficient and the toilets built were used as warehouses, so we decided to increase the amount,' said the rural development minister Jairam Ramesh.
Laying its emphasis on sanitation, the Planning Commission has also approved Rs 36,000 crore for drinking water and sanitation programmes in its 12th Five Year Plan, earlier the amount allocated in the 11th plan was Rs 7,800 crore. Interestingly, the plan panel is fighting bad press on spending about Rs 35 lakh on a toilet in its office in New Delhi.
The government has also made toilet construction mandatory for availing funds for Indira Aawas Yojana, whose allocation has now been raised from existing Rs 45,000 to Rs 75,000.
The total sanitation campaign will now be known as Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan.
After the cabinet's approval , the centre will now contribute Rs 3,200, the state Rs1, 400 and the family in whose house the toilet is built will spend Rs 900 per toilet. The biggest chunk of funding of Rs 4,500 crore will come from the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) funds.
Earlier Rs 2,100 was the share of centre, while the states pad Rs 1,000. The individuals who benefitted from these toilets used to dole out Rs 300 and funding from MGNREGA was Rs1,200.
'State governments had complained that the earlier amount was insufficient and the toilets built were used as warehouses, so we decided to increase the amount,' said the rural development minister Jairam Ramesh.
Laying its emphasis on sanitation, the Planning Commission has also approved Rs 36,000 crore for drinking water and sanitation programmes in its 12th Five Year Plan, earlier the amount allocated in the 11th plan was Rs 7,800 crore. Interestingly, the plan panel is fighting bad press on spending about Rs 35 lakh on a toilet in its office in New Delhi.
The government has also made toilet construction mandatory for availing funds for Indira Aawas Yojana, whose allocation has now been raised from existing Rs 45,000 to Rs 75,000.
The total sanitation campaign will now be known as Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan.
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