Eleventh Five Year Plan

Drinking Water, Sanitation, and Clean Living Conditions 1735.54 Recognizing the link between healthy environmentand sanitation, the MDGs stipulate, inter alia,halving, by 2015, the proportion of people withoutsustainable access to safe drinking water and basicsanitation. The TSC programme, the flagship programmeof the government, has set an ambitioustarget beyond the MDGs and aims to achieve universalsanitation coverage in the country by the end ofthe Eleventh Plan.PERFORMANCE REVIEW OF RURAL SANITATIONSECTOR—TSC IN TENTH PLAN5.55 The TSC is being implemented in 578 districtsof 30 States/UTs with support from the Central Governmentand the respective State/UT governments.Against a target of 10.85 crore individual householdtoilets, the toilets reported completed is about 2.89crore up to January 2007. In addition, about 3.12 lakhschool toilets, 8900 sanitary complex for women,and 99150 balwadi toilets have been constructed.The approved outlay for the programme in the TenthPlan was Rs 955 crore and the anticipated financialutilization is about Rs 2000 crore. The Eleventh FiveYear Plan targets to complete 7.29 crore individualtoilets for achieving universal sanitation coverage inrural areas.MAJOR ISSUES IN RURAL SANITATIONCOVERAGE5.56 Though the current programme emphasis onconstruction of household toilets is laudable, it needsto reorient itself to a vigorous Information and EducationCampaign mode to bring about a change inmindset. The evaluation study of the programme hasshown that 20% of the toilets are not used or used forother purposes like storage. The superstructure for thetoilet, the one that guarantees privacy and dignity, wasprovided funds under the programme starting only inMarch 2006.5.57 The issue of convergence of the programmewith health awareness received a boost only afterthe launch of the NRHM. While it was introducedearlier at school level, at the community level itwas expanded later. However, the school programmehad a cascading effect on the individual householdand children helped to change attitudes. Theawareness is now picking up and the programmeneeds to capitalize on this for increasing the sanitationcoverage. Lack of priority for the programmeby many States leading to inadequate provision offunds for the State share for the TSC, lack of emphasison personal communication on sanitation at thevillage level, and inadequate capacity building at thegrassroot level are some of the common issues seenacross the States that hinder expansion of sanitationcoverage.ELEVENTH PLAN PRIORITIES5.58 While the hardware part of the programme forassisting the States in providing the various types ofsanitation would continue, the focus now should bemore on changing behaviour patterns. The NirmalGram Puraskar (described later) has brought a seachange in the attitudes of the community and it is promotinga healthy competition among the Panchayatsfor achieving total sanitation. Low-cost technologyoptions for constructing the toilets should be tried andcommunity should be given freedom to choose thevarious options. The focus on school sanitation needsto continue. In addition, SWM in villages should bethe next focus area. Ten per cent of the TSC funds areearmarked for this purpose already. Adequate fundingfor the programme would have to be provided sothat the momentum generated is not lost.IEC AND NIRMAL GRAM PURASKAR (NGP)—SUCCESS STORIES5.59 To add vigour to the TSC, in June 2003, the GoIinitiated an incentive scheme for fully sanitized andopen defecation free Gram Panchayats, blocks, anddistricts called the NGP. The incentive pattern isbased on population criteria. The NGP is given tothe following:• Gram Panchayats, blocks, and districts that achieve100% sanitation coverage in terms of 100% sanitationcoverage of individual households, 100%school sanitation coverage, making the village,block, district free from open defecation and withclean environment.• Organizations that have been the driving force foreffecting full sanitation coverage in the respectivegeographical area.