There cannot perhaps be anything more degrading for a person, than having to defecate in open in this age of Modern India. This cause of ignominy and indignity is coupled with serious consequences. Lack of sanitation or improper sanitation in rural areas causes spread of water-borne diseases like cholera, diarrhoea. These diseases cause loss of productive manpower, wastage of earning of the poor people, a burden on the state-run health-infrastructure.
Responding to the Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s national call of Swachhata Abhiyan, Shekhar Mehta has helped set up 6000 rural toilets benefitting 30,000 people.
Taking it forward, Rotary India under its Sanitation Mission has worked relentlessly to supports Government of India’s resolve to provide sanitation access to every individual and safe drinking water to every household in India. Mehta has curated the program with interventions as ODF ( Open Defecation Free) Plus villages, Individual Household Tap Connections ( Har Ghar Nal se Jal), WASH in Schools, WASH in Healthcare facilities ; and Community and Public Toilets.
In line with the The Government of India ODF Declaration by Rural India on 2 October 2019; the strategy is to provide over 10 crores household toilets constructed , and deliver sanitation to 6,03,055 villages and 706 districts in India.
