NEW DELHI: The government is infusing fresh urgency into implementation of the Swachh Bharat Rural scheme after a detailed review by Prime Minister Narendra Modi last month triggered concerns that at its current pace the flagship cleanliness programme could miss its deadline of 2019.
Barely 11 per cent of India’s 6.38 lakh villages have turned open defecation free so far, with only 17 of the 683 districts declared ODF 22 months after the programme was initiated. The programme envisages to make India totally ODF by building 12 crore toilets, of which just two crore have been built.
Big states such as Uttar Pradesh and Bihar ruled by non-NDA parties have managed to turn just 1 per cent of their villages ODF while others including Tamil Nadu, Odisha and Karnataka have reported less than 10 per cent coverage. On the other hand, BJP-ruled Gujarat, Rajasthan, Maharashtra and Haryana have shown vast improvement.
Senior government officials told ET that the PM’s detailed review in June for "a course correction" has led to the scheme being divided into phases, with 173 districts in 23 states being identified as "low hanging fruits" that can be turned ODF quickly due to their pace of progress and because "committed collectors" are in charge there.
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