New Delhi,
Union Minister for Drinking Water and Sanitation Uma Bharti on Friday showered praise on Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his “messianic zeal” towards ‘Swacch Bharat Mission’ which she said has resulted in change in social behaviour.

The campaign is expected to get further impetus in the next financial year on account of increase in the allocation of funds for sanitation and water in Budget 2018-19, Bharti said.

The allocation for National Rural Drinking Water Programme (NRDWP), which was Rs 6050 core, this year, has been increased to Rs 7000 crore.

The allocation for Swacch Bharat Mission-Gramin (SBM-G), which was Rs 13948.27 crore, has been upped to Rs 153433 crore, she informed.

Bharti said: “There were many who wondered on the feasibility of the drive when the prime minister gave a call for it from ramparts of the Red Fort. Since then it has emerged as a successful and world’s biggest behaviour change programme ever attempted.”

She reeled out data, saying when the campaign was launched on October 2, 2014, the total rural sanitation coverage was 38.7 per cent, which has increased to 78. 5 per cent.

The number of people in rural India practicing open defecation in October was 55 crore, which has reduced to 25 crore, this February, she said.

At the latest count, three lakh plus villages and 300 districts have been declared open defecation free (ODF), she said.

Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand among nine states, besides Chandigarh among two UTs, have been declared ODF. Five more states are poised to be declared ODF by March end, Bharti said.

Spelling the future road map, she said after making the villages ODF, the campaign will be taken to next level: “ODF Plus”.

This will have components, including steps to ensure sustainability of ODF status, and pumping in integrated development projects to improve the eco-system and livelihood in the villages.