-NDTV Sikkim, the small north eastern hill state, is the cleanest in India, with Kerala coming in a close second, according to a Swachhta (cleanliness) survey conducted by the National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) on the condition of sanitation in rural areas of 26 states. Chhattisgarh and neighbouring Jharkhand placed last in the survey, which was carried out last year. “A survey on Swachhta status was conducted by NSSO during May-June 2015 covering...

-The Times of India JODHPUR: A survey report prepared by the Legal Help and Awareness Committee of the National Law University (NLU-Jodhpur) has pointed out glaring deficiencies in the government schools' educational framework. The committee surveyed 10 schools each in all the 11 blocks of Jodhpur district in July and found that most of the schools were lacking in basic facilities like water, electricity, cleanliness and staff. Entire logistic support and financial...

-Livemint.com This preference for spending on religious services than sanitation extends across income and spatial divides Cleanliness is next to godliness—or so we are told. In India, cleanliness actually ranks several notches below godliness on the priority list. A recent report by the National Sample Survey Organisation (NSSO) shows that Indians are willing to spend more on religious services than on sanitation, irrespective of spatial and income divide. The survey, findings of which...

-Livemint.com Tiruchirappalli, New Delhi Municipal Council area of the national capital among other cities in the top 10 New Delhi: Mysuru topped the rankings of India’s 10 cleanest cities released by the government on Monday. Chandigarh, Tiruchirappalli in Tamil Nadu, the New Delhi Municipal Council area of the national capital, Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh, Surat and Rajkot in Gujarat, Gangtok in Sikkim, and Pimpri-Chinchwad and Greater Mumbai in Maharashtra followed. The rankings are...

-Economic and Political Weekly The importance of hand-washing in personal and public hygiene has evolved over the centuries. While the market with its countless number of soaps and hand-wash products for personal hygiene with the accompanying advertising has created a false sense of security, it is community hygiene implemented through public health measures that is really effective in the battle against disease. Lekha D Bhat (lekhabhatd@gmail.com) teaches at the Department of Social...