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LATEST NEWS UPDATES | Toilets in schools: Month to go for Red Fort address, private sector misses target PM set -P Vaidyanathan Iyer

Toilets in schools: Month to go for Red Fort address, private sector misses target PM set -P Vaidyanathan Iyer

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published Published on Jul 5, 2015   modified Modified on Jul 5, 2015
-The Indian Express

The private corporate sector has completed construction of just 424 toilets or 8 per cent of its commitment of 5,134 toilets.

New Delhi: With just over a month to go for Independence Day, the private corporate sector has fared the worst in building school toilets to meet the target set by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on August 15 last year. He had announced construction of toilets in all schools with separate ones for girls.

The private corporate sector has completed construction of just 424 toilets or 8 per cent of its commitment of 5,134 toilets, according to details of a review of the Swachh Vidyalaya programme chaired by the Prime Minister mid-June. While construction is in progress in a third of the total commitment, it is yet to commence in the remaining 59 per cent.

Overall, the gap continues to be high, with 68 per cent or 2,98,458 toilets yet to be built. In other words, work has been completed in just one of every three toilets to be constructed across India.

The HRD Ministry and several other government departments are now on an overdrive visiting districts in states to deliver on the Prime Minister’s promise. In fact, 40 officers from the ministry have already visited 25 states and covered 128 districts and 1,028 schools to monitor the progress.

The department of school education and literacy under the HRD ministry had estimated the initial gap at 4.19 lakh toilets based on the UDISE (Unified District Information System for Education) data. An additional gap of 20,147 toilets was reported by a dozen states. While 2.54 lakh toilets were to be constructed with government funds, PSUs committed to building 1.64 lakh toilets, the private corporate 5,134 toilets and moneys from the Swachh Bharat Kosh were to fund 15,852 toilets.

On Independence Day last year, the Prime Minister had said, “…I want to make a beginning today itself… all schools in the country should have toilets with separate toilets for girls… This target should be finished within one year… and on the next August 15, we should be in a firm position to announce that there is no school in India without separate toilets for boys and girls.”

Since last August, while the government has taken the lead and built 1,22,140 toilets or 45 per cent of its target till mid-June this year, public sector undertakings have completed construction of 18,520 toilets, or just 11 per cent of their target of 1,63,986.

The review of the Swachh Vidyalaya programme revealed that eight entities — TCS, Mahindra Group, Rotary International, Infosys Foundation, ITC Ltd, Relaxo Footwear, Girish Nanda and Coca Cola India — are yet to start work on 2,925 toilets, and work is in progress in 1,134 toilets.

Corporate funding for school

toilets comes from two streams: Swachh Bharat Kosh to which both corporates and individuals make donations, and direct bookings by corporate entities. The objective of the Swachh Bharat Kosh (SBK) is to improve cleanliness levels in both rural and urban areas, with toilet construction being the initial thrust area. When the school toilet plan was finalised, the government had planned to utilise money from the Swachh Bharat Kosh to finance 15,852 toilets in the 12 months ending August 14, 2015.

When contacted, Mahindra Group said it won’t be able to comment on this matter. The TCS said, “We have been allocated 1433 schools for building the toilets, we are on course to completing it by July 31.”

An ITC spokesperson said, “Disbursements have been completed for all 89 toilets in 36 schools where construction is nearing completion or work is in progress. However, in the case of 29 toilets in 16 schools, local authorities have indicated that the toilets are not required at this point of time since they have been either constructed recently or the school premises are not on government land.”


The Indian Express, 5 July, 2015, http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-others/toilets-in-schools-month-to-go-for-red-fort-address-private-sector-misses-target-pm-set/


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