MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) IN THE MINISTRY OF
DRINKING WATER AND SANITATION
(SHRI BHARATSINH SOLANKI)
(a) Yes Madam. As per census 2011, only 32.7% of rural households are
having access to latrines.
(b) and (c) One of the biggest problems facing the sanitation sector
is lack of access to sanitary toilets to a large proportion of rural
households. The NBA provides assistance for building of Individual
Household latrines (IHHLs) to eligible beneficiaries. The building of
IHHLs is an activity which is not readily amenable to Public Private
Partnership in the traditional sense of the term. However Private sector
does play an important role in the sanitation sector by making available
the material requirement for construction of toilets. Moreover, as per
NBA Guidelines, corporate houses are encouraged to participate in the
implementation of Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan (NBA) as an essential part of
the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) by taking up the issues of
sanitation through Information Education Communication (IEC), Human
Resource Development (HRD) or through direct targeted interventions.
(d) & (e) Under Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan (NBA), Solid and Liquid Waste
Management (SLWM) is one of the key components to bring about improvement
in the general quality of life in rural areas. Under this component,
activities like compost pits, vermin composting, common and individual
biogas plants, low cost drainage, soakage channels/ pits, reuse of
waste water and system for collection, segregation and disposal of
household garbage etc can be taken up.
Under Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan (NBA), assistance for SLWM project is
available on the basis of total number of households in each Gram
Panchayat(GP), subject to a maximum of Rs.7 lakh for a GP having up to
150 households, Rs.12 lakh up to 300 households, Rs.15 lakh up to 500
households and Rs.20 lakh for GPs having more than 500 households. Funding
for SLWM project under NBA is provided by the Central and State Government
in the ratio of 70:30. It is upto the Gram Panchayats / State Governments
including that of Maharashtra to take up SLWM projects including mini
sewerage treatment plants to meet the local requirement by utilizing
assistance available under NBA. Additional cost requirement can be met
by convergence with MGNGREGS or from the State/GP funds.
(f) & (g) Government of India has accorded a high priority to rural
sanitation. Efforts of the State Governments for promoting rural sanitation
were supplemented from 1986 till 1999 by the Central Government under the
centrally sponsored Rural Sanitation Programme (CRSP) and thereafter from
1999 under the Total Sanitation Campaign (TSC). Total Sanitation Campaign
(TSC) was launched as demand driven, community led programme with major
Information Education Communication (IEC) inputs to make sanitation
a felt need of the people.
To accelerate the progress of Sanitation coverage TSC was revamped as
Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan (NBA) in the XIIth Five Year Plan. The objective
of NBA is to achieve sustainable behavior change with provision of
sanitary facilities in entire communities in a phased, saturation mode
with “Nirmal Grams’ as outcomes. The new strategy is to transform rural
India into ‘Nirmal Bharat’ by adopting community saturation approach.
NBA goal is to achieve 100% access to sanitation for all rural
households by 2022.
Under NBA, following steps have been taken :
# A shift from motivating individual household toilet construction to
covering whole communities in a Gram Panchayat saturation mode for
holistic sanitation outcomes.
# The scope of providing incentives for individual household latrine units
has been widened to cover all APL households who belong to SCs, STs, small
and marginal farmers, landless labourers with homesteads, physically
challenged and women headed households along-with all BPL households.
Financial incentive for construction of toilets has been raised for all
eligible beneficiaries to Rs. 4600/- from the earlier amount of Rs 3200/-.
under NBA. In addition upto Rs. 4500/- can be spent under Mahatma Gandhi
National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme for construction of the toilet.
Along-with beneficiary contribution of Rs. 900/-, the total unit cost of
toilet is now Rs. 10000/-.(Rs. 10500/- for Hilly and difficult areas)
# More emphasis on Information Education Communication (IEC).with earmarked
15% of the total outlay of district projects for IEC activities. With a view
to give thrust to a new approach towards IEC, the Ministry has launched a
Communication and Advocacy Strategy (2012-2017).
# Conjoint approach with National Rural Drinking Water Programme (NRDWP)
to ensure water availability for sanitation in Gram Panchayats. Focused
convergence of rural sanitation with associated Ministries including Health,
School Education, Women and Child Development with NBA.
# Funds for capacity building of all stakeholders including Panchayati
Raj Institutions (PRIs) and field level implementers have been earmarked
under the revised strategy.
# Convergence with other State Departments like Health, Women & Child
Development and Panchayati Raj is being focused upon. Provision has
been made for incentivizing Accredited Social Health Activists(ASHAs) &
Anganwadi workers for promoting sanitation. Self Help Groups, Women’s
Groups & NGOs of repute are to be encouraged by states to participate
in sanitation promotion.
# The component of Solid and Liquid Waste Management (SLWM) has been
prioritized by focussed funding.
(h) and
(i) During 12th five year plan, Government of India has allocated
Rs 37159 crores for sanitation. Further Government has increased the
allocation under NBA from Rs.2500 crore in the year 2012-13 to Rs. 4260
crore in 2013-14. The State/UT wise fund released so far along with details
of unspent balances with them as on 31st July,2013 is at Annexure-1.
