

World Toilet Day 2019: 5 diseases that may become a thing of the past when India is 100% open-defecation free
9% of deaths among children under 5 can be attributed to diarrhoea - the pathogens that cause diarrhoea are transmitted through the oral-faecal route.

India declared open defecation free, but in Mumbai's Mahim, slum residents face a different reality
For the slum-dwellers of Mahim East, the Modi government's claim of the country becoming open defecation free is "a lie".

CSE questions sustainability of Swachh Bharat Mission's public toilet initiative
The group asked how will these toilets be kept functional and waste generated be disposed of efficiently.

'India is open defecation free': Experts question govt claim, say scheme is ‘archaic’, people might slip back to their old habit
Experts questioned the government's claim of the country becoming open defecation free

Narendra Modi to declare India open defecation-free on 2 October, says Gujarat deputy CM Nitin Patel
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will declare the country open defecation-free on the occasion of the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi on 2 October

Govt launches 'open defecation free' plus vision document focusing on solid waste management in villages
The government Saturday launched an Open Defecation Free (ODF) Plus vision document envisaging solid waste management in villages.

Groundwater contamination was found to be 12 times higher in Indian villages practicing open defecation
After the open-defecation free campaign, the government will focus on solid and liquid waste management in villages.

NDA government's 'Swachh Bharat Mission' in villages has reduced groundwater contamination, reveals UNICEF study
These studies, commissioned by UNICEF and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, were launched on World Environment Day and aimed at assessing the environmental impact and communication footprint of the Swachh Bharat Mission (Grameen) respectively.

In Uttar Pradesh's Jhansi, toilets built under Swachh Bharat Mission exist only on paper, open defecation continues
In the village of Deora in Jhansi district in Bundelkhand, Suman Devi’s family got money to build a toilet. But the money could not even cover the cost of a toilet pan

Swachh Bharat Mission forced Ladakh to face hard truths about waste management, find traditional solutions
Mismanagement rather than declining water resources is the main reason for the water crisis in Ladakh's Leh town. There is also the problem of waste disposal.

Over nine crore toilets built, 5.5 lakh villages declared open defecation free since 2014, govt tells Lok Sabha
More than nine crore toilets have been constructed across the country, while over 5 lakh villages have been declared ODF till 5 February this year under the Swachh Bharat Mission-Gramin (SBM-G), govt tells Lok Sabha

Swachh Bharat Mission in Bihar stumbling due to govt corruption and slow construction of toilets, say villagers
Villagers in Bihar say the Swachh Bharat Mission has failed to live up to the hype

Swachh Bharat Mission in Odisha hits roadblock as abundant open defecation, insufficient toilets defeat cleanliness drive
Statistics claim that the Bantaligram panchayat, which hosts 1,293 households, has only 234 toilets constructed, while 1,059 toilets are yet to be constructed.

70% of UP has been declared Open Defecation Free, but the residents of these village tell a different story
With exactly a year to the Swachch Bharat Mission deadline, the clock is ticking. Perhaps a bit too hard and fast for rural Uttar Pradesh, where 1000 toilets are being constructed on a daily basis, according to official district-level records. As Gandhi Jayanti 2018 clocks in, Khabar Lahariya investigates the numbers across districts of rural UP.

Swachhata Hi Seva campaign: Yogi Adityanath says sanitation mission helped Uttar Pradesh realise 'distant dream' of cleanliness
Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the Swachhata Hi Seva movement via video conference.

Arun Jaitley boasts about 'phenomenal' success of Swachh Bharat 'people's movement', says it improved quality of life
In his Facebook blog, Arun Jaitley wrote that the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan had transformed from a "people's movement" into a "women's movement".

Narendra Modi launches 'Swachhata Hi Seva' campaign: PM says sanitation coverage increased from 40% to 90%
Launching the "Swachhata Hi Seva" campaign, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Saturday all sections of society and every part of the country have joined the cleanliness drive.

Toilets to solar panel scams: What the money trail on the policies implemented in a Bundelkhand village reveals
In Paprenda, a Bundelkhand village, budget upon budget allocated for development — from roads to hand-pumps — has disappeared down the drain.

Rs 500, 10 sacks of sand, and two sacks of cement: What villagers near Varanasi are being given to build toilets
We can only get the toilet constructed when the entire amount is paid to us. But the kotedaar (who distributes ration) and the pradhan said that if we don’t construct the toilets now, he will stop giving us our rations. But again, we can only construct the toilet once we get all the material. Otherwise, how is it possible? Even the rations are distributed in a haphazard, confused manner. Half of us don’t get it only!”

Odisha targets to achieve 'Open Defecation Free' status by 2018: Panchayat bodies, SHGs to be involved
Odisha government has said the state has registered a substantial progress in toilet coverage under the 'Swachh Bharat Mission' (SBM) and set a target to achieve Open Defecation Free (ODF) status by the end of 2018.