Construction of Toilets for Girl Students All government schools in the country having enrolment of girls have at least one toilet block for girls. All States and Union Territories excluding Jammu and Kashmir have been advised to ensure that all the schools in the respective State, including those under the non-Government sector (private, aided schools etc.) comply with the provision contained in Schedule to the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009 which states that every recognized school should have separate toilets for boys and girls. Under Swachh Vidyalaya Initiative which aimed to provide separate toilet blocks for girls and boys in each school, 4,17,796 toilets were constructed in a period of one year from 15.8.2014 to 15.8.2015, thus ensuring that every single government school now has separate toilets for girls and boys. Government of India financially supports States and Union Territories (UTs), for creation and improvement of infrastructural facilities in schools across the country including construction of toilets under the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) and the Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA) programmes. The requirement of infrastructural facilities in schools are worked out every year by the respective State and Union Territory on incremental basis depending on their need and priority and this is reflected in their Annual Work Plan and Budget (AWP&B). Under SSA, 4,99,946 girls toilets have been sanctioned to States and UTs since inception of the scheme in 2000-01 till September, 2015. Out of this, construction of 4,82,746 girls toilets in elementary schools have been reported by the States and UTs. Under RMSA, 33,334 girls toilets have been approved and constructed in secondary schools. Rajasthan has reported problem of availability of water for toilets in some government schools situated in western Rajasthan due to non-availability of permanent water source within school premises. In such schools alternative arrangements have been made by putting small tanks or buckets in toilets for ensuring water availability. SSA also assists States and UTs for providing drinking water facilities in elementary schools. This Ministry has sanctioned 2,38,973 drinking water facilities to States and UTs including 23,283 drinking water facilities to the State of Rajasthan. Apart from this, SSA supports convergence with schemes viz. National Rural Drinking Water Programme and Accelerated Rural Water Supply Programme of Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation and other relevant schemes of Central and State Governments, for ensuring availability of drinking water in schools. This information was given by the Union Human Resource Development Minister, Smt. Smriti Irani today in a written reply to a Rajya Sabha question.
