Union Minister for Rural Development and Drinking Water and Sanitation Shri Birender Singh said that the pace of construction of toilets in rural India has gathered momentum and within one year of the launch of Swachh Bharat Mission, about 95 lakh toilets were constructed across the country against the target of 60 lakh toilets. He said, the States like West Bengal, Karnataka, Rajasthan and Maharashtra have taken the lead in construction of Individual Household Latrines and community toilets and these states may achieve the target of Open-Defecation Free status in 2017 or 2018, well before the target of 2nd October, 2019. The Minister was speaking after launching the Coffee table book on Swachh Bharat organized by the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation. Swachh Bharat Mission was launched on October 2, 2014, as one of the largest national campaigns to make the country open defecation free in five years. Shri Singh said that the Government is committed to driving a pan-India mass movement towards improved sanitation and this is only possible through the collaborative efforts of the people of India. Changing age-old attitudes and mindsets towards open defecation is critical in attaining our Swachh Bharat goals, the Minister added. The Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation has partnered with BBC Media Action and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to honour rural sanitation champions across India with the launch of a coffee table book, “An Open Mind.” The book highlights the inspiring stories of these sanitation champions who have driven positive behaviour change in their communities and helped their villages achieve Open Defecation Free status.