 "Sikkim tops in Swachh Bharat survey")
Sikkim and Himachal Pradesh's Mandi district have been ranked as the top state and district in terms of sanitation coverage under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ambitious Swachh Bharat Mission.
The survey conducted by the Quality Council of India (QCI) between May 20 and June 21 in 75 districts covered over 70,000 households. "This survey did not include any urban area," an official said.
Bihar, was ranked lowest among states. With 25.16 per cent households having access to safe toilets, it had the least coverage. Odisha, Jammu and Kashmir, Jharkhand and Telangana were ranked just above Bihar.
Among hill districts, Anjaw in Arunachal Pradesh was at the bottom. In the plains, Sindhudurg in Maharashtra topped with 99 per cent of the population having access to toilets, while Dungarpur in Rajasthan ranked lowest with 46 per cent of the population having similar facilities.
The districts were ranked on households having access to safe toilets, households not having litter or waste water, and average cleanliness around public places.
"We have ranked states and districts to improve their performance," Narendra Singh Tomar, Union minister for drinking water and sanitation, told reporters after the release of the report.
He said the 75 districts were chosen because their performance in providing toilets was better than the rest. Officials said in the next phases more districts would be ranked.
The ministry is planning to rope in Sachin Tendulkar and Amitabh Bachchan as brand ambassadors for the Swachh Bharat campaign.
