The Study of “Systemic Weaknesses” in Rural Sanitation in India: Policy Learning for Swachha Bharat Mission

Abstract

With up-start of Swaccha Bharat Mission (SBM), the Rural Sanitation services have occupied the front-line policy discourse in the country. The declared programme outcome is to make the rural country-setting open defecation free (ODF) by 2019. The Central Government has increased public investments manifolds in tune of 1.36 lakhs crore for the programme implementation. However, the chronicles of programme implementation of rural sanitation services in the country since 1986 brings out evidences that only allocations of resources do not deliver the desired results. It showcases severe lagging in access and coverage which affects public health and hygiene standards in rural India