Rural development minister Jairam Ramesh today blamed the poor demand by women for the failure of the Total Sanitation Programme, with 70 per cent of the country still not using toilets.
“Women demand mobile phones, they are not demanding toilets,” said Ramesh after launching a UN report on MDG goals. “Sanitation is the much more difficult issue. Now, we are talking of behavioural changes and women demand mobile phones. They are not demanding toilets. That is the mindset we have...,” he said. However, his remark was not taken lightly by many in the audience.
Economist and professor Jayati Ghosh shot back, saying if the minister himself would use the Sulabh toilets.