Kejriwal debunksVenkaiah’s Swachh Bharat claims

“In one year of Swachh Bharat, which streets got cleaned as <g data-gr-id="31">result</g> of this campaign? How much money was spent on it? It’s time to question symbolism,” said Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in a function on Mahatma Gandhi’s birth anniversary in the city.

“AAP government will inaugurate 350 new toilets in 10 new toilet blocks,” Kejriwal said while inaugurating a toilet block in Majnu Ka Tila area.

“In the last six months, 750 toilet seats have been added. By March 31 next year, we will be able to provide sufficient toilets and clean water in all slums,” he said.

On the other hand, Naidu claimed that the Ministry for Rural Development had surpassed <g data-gr-id="34">it’s</g> target of building about 60 lakh toilets in the past one year under the Mission. “Showing remarkable progress, 89 lakh individual household latrines have been built in rural areas in the past one year. 

The big Swachh Bharat push in rural areas has increased the access of toilets to 46.9 percent from only 32.6 percent in 2011 across the country,” said Naidu. He admitted that the urban areas in poll-bound Bihar and Uttar Pradesh have built only 927 and 862 household latrines respectively since the sanitation mission was launched in <g data-gr-id="33">October,</g> 2014.

“We are confident the target in urban areas would also be met by March <g data-gr-id="36">2016,”he</g> added. Claiming that Swachh Bharat is the “mother of all new missions” he said that changing the mindset and attitude of people remains the biggest challenge. Stating that the message of complete sanitation has gone down well with people and has sensitized people, Naidu said the mission is “demand driven” in nature. 

“A clean India is the most profound statement that the county can make to the world which is keenly watching us in the context of various initiatives launched over the last one year,” he added.