Slow Progress in India's Toilet Mission
This article originally published on StraitsTimes
"School sanitation is very critical to Swachh Bharat (Clean India) for many reasons," Mr Parameswaran Iyer, Secretary of the Drinking Water and Sanitation Ministry, told The Straits Times. "We want to make sure kids practise safe hygiene and use toilets. Apart from that, they influence their parents. They are the change agents."
He added that private corporations are contributing in different ways. "Many are also working on their own or working directly with state governments," he said.
However, Mr Iyer said there was scope to do more. For instance, the toilets at SDMC Primary School were renovated six months ago by US multinational Kimberly-Clark, in collaboration with non-profit group Charities Aid Foundation.
