Gram sevak held for accepting bribe to clear grant for toilets

A village official was today nabbed by the anti-corruption bureau (ACB) for accepting bribe to clear grant for building toilets under the government's sanitation programme.

Dinesh Rane (42), a gram sevak at Javli village in Pen tehsil of adjoining Raigad district, was arrested while accepting Rs 12,000 from the complainant, ACB sources said.

Rane had sought the bribe from the 25 year-old complainant who wanted to expedite his proposal to get the government grant for four toilets he had built.

The government has accelerated the efforts to achieve universal sanitation coverage after the Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the Swachh Bharat Mission on October 2, 2014.
 

So far, the number of open defecation-free villages in India is 1,74,828 and the number of open defecation-free districts is 118, as per official data.