Swachh Bharat: Ministers to discuss ways to expedite plan

With the objective to chalk out plans for mission Swachh Bharat, state ministers in-charge of drinking water and sanitation will meet here on Monday. At the meet, ministers will review the progress in the National Rural Drinking Water Programme (NRDWP) and evolve a strategy for speedy and effective 

implementation of prime minister Narendra Modi’s mission of ‘Swachh Bharat’ by 2019.

The review meeting convened by the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation will also take stock of Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan (NBA) launched in the first year of the 12th five year plan and the factors behind its failure.

‘Despite 64 years of rural development, 60 per cent of India’s rural population defecates in open either due to lack of toilets, lack of their operation and maintenance, due to absence of water or inappropriate technology with no scientific mode of digesting the waste, leading to rural men questioning the usefulness of toilets, a statement released by rural ministry said. ‘In the last 60 years only 32 per cent rural families in 2011 (as per census figures) and 40 per cent (NSSO figures of 2013) have rural toilets,’ the statement said.

Prime minister Modi has personally expressed anguish in his Independence Day speech and expressed the commitment of his government to achieve ‘Swachh Bharat’ by 2019 as a tribute on the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, by eliminating the unhealthy practice of open defecation.

Union minister of rural development, drinking water and sanitation Nitin Gadkari has directed that scientifically proven solid and liquid waste management activities be launched in each gram panchayat. Gadkari strongly feels that apart from twin pit technology, and the conventional septic tank technology, the new bio digester technology developed by DRDO needs to be tried.  However, for the kind of acceleration required, there is a need to look at newer options which use less water, apply rural pots which save water and biological waste treatment methods.