NEW DELHI – The Swachh Bharat Mission has been receiving kudos from media outlets for being “The world’s biggest toilet-building spree” in the UN-affiliated global effort to eliminate open defecation.
There is little debate over the progress that has been made in India. More than 80 million household toilets have been constructed since 2014 as the country seeks to make every household and every village Open Defecation Free (ODF).
As an aside, the $20 billion project has generated an 81% increase in sales of concrete building materials and nearly a 50% increase in bathroom and sanitaryware sales. Major companies like the Tata Group and Reckitt Benckiser will reap the major financial rewards from the development of an improved latrine system.
