Date:08/09/2007 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2007/09/08/stories/2007090855320900.htm

National

Sanitation coverage goes up to 46 per cent

Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI: The sanitation coverage in the country has gone up to 46 per cent, according to the figures made available by the Union Rural Development Ministry here on Friday.

The sanitation coverage was merely one per cent in the year 1981, and 21 per cent in 2001. In the last three years, more than 3 crore households were provided with household latrines, apart from school toilets, anaganwadi toilets and sanitary complexes, taking up the coverage to 46 per cent.

The Ministry has sanctioned a project for 573 districts of the country to construct 11.60 crore individual household latrines, 10.16 lakh school toilets, 3.70 lakh anaganwadi latrines and 27,900 sanitary complexes.

The Ministry is monitoring its implementation on a regular basis and releasing comparative performance of States in implementation of Total Sanitation Campaign, in physical and financial terms. Based on the performance received up to the month of July, 2007, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu and Tripura were at top three positions.

Union Rural Development Minister Raghuvansh Prasad Singh asked the Members of Parliament to make field visits for ascertaining the ground situation on the implementation of various schemes.