Follow Centre's lead: Time for states to call a war on open defecation

The gains from the Swachh Bharat programme are too significant and hard-won to be dissipated for lack of funds or organisational momentum

The Swachh Bharat Mission, launched on Mahatma Gandhi’s birthday 10 years ago, has some commendable achievements to its credit. According to reports of the National Family Health Survey, 82.5 per cent of households now have access to toilet facilities, up from just 45 per cent in 2004-05, and 70 per cent of households have exclusive access to toilets, from 29 per cent in 2004-05. The sharp reduction in open defecation, with all its disease-propagating dangers, has played a role in the sharp decrease in the infant mortality rate as well. In a country as large and diverse