Findings of annual rural sanitation survey questionable

The claim of 96.5 per cent rural households having access to toilets with potential usage is somewhat doubtful, especially in a scenario where …

Dalit activists, leaders decry Prime Minister’s ‘Christ-like’ act

It is just a gimmick to fool Dalits whereas their real problems are unaddressed, they say

Rankings of cleanest Indian cities released; Modi’s Varanasi misses Top 10

Two cities from Gujarat—Surat and Rajkot—have made it to the list of the 10 cleanest cities

ODF Plus: Step up or lose

India cannot sustain its next round of sanitation campaign without managing its faecal waste

Swachh Bharat Mission to be a continuing challenge

The fight for open defecation-free status is far from over

Gram panchayats get more funds for Swachh Bharat activities

Mandatory for lowest tier elected bodies to use half the funds allocated under 15th Finance Commission

Coercive measures under Swachh Bharat Mission impinging on people’s freedom

Due to strict deadline of the SBM, the officials are now trying to coerce communities to stop open defecation and passing stringent laws

No more N-I-M-B-Y

Our excessive reliance on 'others' to manage 'our' waste has let the situation go out of hand

How clean are our forests?

The inordinate focus on cities and towns seems to suggest that garbage doesn’t occur elsewhere. But that is hardly so

Swachh Bharat Mission: An outstanding achievement, but challenges remain

Including people who still lack toilets, overcoming partial toilet use and retrofitting sustainably unsafe toilets are some of the massive tasks ahead

Swachh Survekshan 2017 results on May 4; government says signs are ‘encouraging’

Besides covering larger number of cities and towns, this year’s survey also gives more importance to citizen feedback  

Swachh Bharat gets a thumbs up

According to the Budget document, SBA for rural sanitation has received Rs 9,000 crore while for urban sanitation, the scheme has a plan outlay …

Back to toilet school

On August 15, the government announced it had achieved the target of building toilets in all schools in India. But are these toilets functional?

Economic Survey low on health; public health infrastructure may take a backseat

The Survey reiterates the government’s commitment to Swachh Bharat Abhiyan

Worms thriving in brains, Assam’s tea garden workers lose lives, livelihoods

Neurocysticercosis triggered by tapeworms that easily travel between humans and pigs present a real, imminent danger of zoonosis; an …

Rural development

Several flagship schemes have faced huge cuts in annual allocation

New mobile app under Swachh Bharat Abhiyan to collect data on use of toilets

Details asked by the app not sufficient to give information on proper use of toilets, says expert

Swachh Bharat Mission Phase II guidelines released

Safe toilets, with well managed black and grey water, are the need of the hour, particularly in rural areas

Ugly is the new beautiful

A group of anonymous citizens in Bengaluru is cleaning filthy streets and inspiring change across India

‘Periods don't stop for pandemics, neither should our activism’

Srilekha Chakraborty, the woman behind menstrual health campaign #PeriodsPeCharcha, talks about introducing changes in ways menstrual health is …

No sops for rural Indian

No extra funds for MGNREGA, sanitation; allocations reduced for rural roads and housing programme

Money, money everywhere; not a clean drop to drink

Experts lament the lack of scientific planning and direction for cleaning of rivers in budgets