True: The Modi government has built a toilet for poor people under Swacha Bharat.

By: Ishita Goel
March 12 2021

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SBM provides access of toilets to 93.1% of households. 30 states/UTs are 100% covered with Individual Household Latrines. In 2014, the Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM), or Clean India Mission was initiated, "to accelerate efforts to achieve universal sanitation coverage, improve cleanliness and eliminate open defecation in India" by 2019. There were mainly four activities carried out under SBM, one of them was Construction of Individual Household Latrines (IHHL). Under the scheme, the government provides assistance of Rs 12,000 per household for the construction of a latrine or toilet in all below the poverty line (BPL) households, SC/STs, small and marginal farmers, landless laborers, physically handicapped persons, and also to those households that have a woman as the head of the family. The Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation published a report on the Swachh Bharat Mission Grameen's (SBM-G) target versus the achieved target on the household toilets in all the states of India. The database showed 100 percent Individual House Hold Latrine (IHHL) coverage. 9,56,91,213 details were entered for not having toilets in the sum of both sections: Above Poverty line(APL) and Below poverty line(BPL), out which 4,41,34,966 were under BPL section. A total of 10,76,23,274 Household Toilets were constructed in a period of five years, from Oct. 2014 to Oct. 2019, reports the SBM-G site. Although the reports show 100 percent in the IHHL sector, the site suggests five states are yet to get a complete notation of IHHL. The progress extends to 90.95 percent. India recorded 6,02,981 Open defecation-free villages and 711 Open defecation-free districts. Under the Swachh Bharat Mission-Rural, a target of 59,57,471 Individual Household Toilet was set, and with the construction of 62,43,346 toilets, it was achieved with 105 percent. The 5 percent under the IHHL is to be achieved by the government under the rural sector. The urban sector has seen more progress by achieving 105 percent.