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The Ministry of Human Resource Development recently announced that the Swacch Vidyalaya targets were achieved, claiming that there are now separate toilets for boys and girls across all schools in India. But this claim does not hold up to close scrutiny.
On #IndiaHangOut, our panel of experts discuss if "toilets for all" is a feasible target and what role the government can play in fixing sanitation issues in India.
The panel included Dr. Bindeshwar Pathak, the Founder of Sulabh International, Nikhil George, Research Analyst at the Centre for Policy Research and Siddhartha Das, Manager Policy of Water Aid India, along with Govindraj Ethiraj.
"The Prime Minister announced that this year 4,50,000 toilets have been built in schools, both for boys and girls. We are part of "Team India" and we have done our job. If someone wants to check, they can see we have built toilets in all schools. If you hand over these public works to agencies, the target can be achieved. But when the government selects these agencies, they should check their credentials and commitment. We at Sulabh International have done our job," Dr. Pathak highlighted.