Why expenditure on 'Swachh Bharat' is worthy and needs to be increased

For every rupee spent on sanitation, the society gets Rs 6.4 in social benefit

Nearly half of global deaths from diarrhoea occur in India – and most of these 800,000 annual deaths are due to a lack of clean drinking water and sanitation, according to a comprehensive global study. Prime Minister Modi has made both a priority, but what policies will do the most to help? New research points the way.

The research is by expert Bjorn Larsen, commissioned by Tata Trusts and Copenhagen Consensus as part of a project that will close gaps in evidence across several states, scrutinising more than 80 potential policies.

Clean drinking water is essential since its scarcity is to blame