Assistance for rural component of Modi’s sanitation campaign

To help India ensure that all its citizens in rural areas have access to improved sanitation to end open defecation by 2019, the World Bank has approved a $1.5-billion loan for a support operation project of Swachh Bharat, a sanitation campaign launched by the Union government.

This will support SBM-Gramin, the rural component of the campaign, over five years with a programme which links funds to the results.

World Bank data show that of the 2.4 billion people who lack access to improved sanitation worldwide, over 750 million live in India, 80 per cent of them in rural areas. More than 500 million of India’s rural population continue to defecate in the open, suffering from preventable deaths, illness, stunting, harassment and economic losses. “One in every 10 deaths in India is linked to poor sanitation. And studies show low-income households bear the brunt of poor sanitation. This project, aimed at strengthening the implementation of Swachh Bharat, will result in significant health benefits for the poor and vulnerable, especially those in rural areas,” said Onno Ruhl, World Bank’s country director for India.

“Incentivising good performance by the States and the focus on behavioural changes are important components of this project,” he said.

SBM-Gramin focuses on ensuring the use of toilets, besides their construction. The States and their implementing agencies will be given incentives for meeting performance standards: reducing open defecation, sustaining their open defecation-free status and improving solid and liquid waste management in rural areas. The World Bank will also provide a $25-million technical assistance for building the capacity of select State governments.