The National Annual Rural Sanitation Survey (NARSS) 2018-19, conducted by an Independent Verification Agency (IVA) under the World Bank support project to the Swachh Bharat Mission Grameen (SBM-G), has found that 96.5% of the households in rural India who have access to a toilet use it.

A new government-commissioned survey has found that 93.1% of rural Indian households now have access to toilets, in comparison to 77% last year.

The Committee on Subordinate Legislationpresent this Forty-third Report on Rules/ Regulations governing the implementation of Swachh Bharat Mission Programme in Urban and Rural Areas. Swachh Bharat Abhiyan or Clean India Campaign is one of the most ambitious projects undertaken by the Government of India.

To achieve “Swachh Bharat” by October 2, 2019, the main objectives of the SBM(G) are as under: Bring about an improvement in the general quality of life in the rural areas, by promoting cleanliness, hygiene and eliminating open defecation; Accelerate sanitation coverage in rural areas to achieve the vision of Swachh Bharat by 2nd October 2019;

Despite significant efforts to increase latrine ownership, open defecation remains a challenge across rural India. Structural and economic barriers cannot sufficiently explain the stubborn persistence of open defecation among latrine owners; social norms and cultural schema, however, appear to be influential.