11.03 cr Toilets and 3.59 Lakh Solar Pumps Built in India: Centre

India built 11.03 crore individual household latrines (IHHL) all over the country since 2014-15, said the Jal Shakti Ministry on March 31, 2022 in answer to a question regarding the Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM).

On Thursday, Congress MPs Anto Antony, K. Muraleedharan, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, Dr. Mohammad Jawed asked Union Minister Prahlad Singh Patel about the data on construction of toilets under SBM. In response, Patel shared data that showed construction of toilets had declined somewhat since 2019-20 with 1.19 cr toilets. In the previous year, the government claimed to have built 2.36 cr toilets across the country.

During pandemic years 2020-21 and 2021-22, 47.66 lakh toilets and 20.71 toilets were built respectively. Further, Patel said, “Under SBM (Urban), 62,64,914 individual household toilets have been constructed since 2014-15, as per the information received from the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs. Year-wise details of toilets constructed under SBM (U) are not maintained.”

Enquiring MPs also asked the Ministry about the allegations of fabricated data that said 30 percent of the data reported for both SBM Urban and SBM Gramin on the official websites is allegedly "manufactured". Further, it is claimed that 12 lakh toilets reported as constructed between 2014 and 2020 are allegedly fictitious.

However, the Minister said no such report regarding manufactured data was received by the Ministry and thus did not take action on the same.

“Geo-tagging of toilets has been made mandatory to ensure that manufactured data do not creep in,” said Patel.

The SBM is an important aspect of the ruling regime’s scheme as it was much touted in 2014. The scheme was also expected to alleviate the troubles of rural India. However, a 2021 SabrangIndia interview with sanitation crusader Pragya Akhilesh explained how the Mission left much wanting despite huge figures.

She pointed out that rather than construction of new toilets, there should be more focus on the eradication of previously-constructed dry latrines. The sanitary toilets built under the SBM also have their unique problems like lack of water supply. As such these toilets too become a burden for India’s sanitation workers, who are forced to manually scavenge excreta from the toilets because of unavailability of continued water supply.

Aside from toilets, BJP MP Mohanbhai Kalyanji Kundariy also asked about the distribution of solar water pumps to small and marginal farmers under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Urja Suraksha evam Utthaan Mahabhiyan (PM-KUSUM).

New and Renewable Energy and Power Minister R. K. Singh answered that around 3.59 lakh standalone solar water pumps for farmers including small and marginal farmers across India. Of these, 82,408 pumps have been installed. Particularly in Uttar Pradesh, 20 thousand pumps were sanctioned with 6,842 pumps installed by 2022. In 2017, the installation of such solar pumps was a major promise of the Yogi-led BJP party in UP.

However, during recent elections, farmers body Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) announced that the government had failed on these promises when it provided 6,068 energy efficient pumps to UP farmers, falling short of the 10 lakh farmers goal. Yet, again in 2022, the government promised solar pumps under the PM-KUSUM.

The full list of state-wise sanctioned and installed pumps are as below: