Number of BPL much higher if access to toilet were criteria: PC

New Delhi, Mar 20 (UNI) Stating that the number of those living below poverty line was much more than projected if poverty was measured by access to proper toilet facilities, Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia today called for strong public intervention to solve the problem.

''Defecation in the open is an indicator of poverty, and going by that, I believe the number of people living below poverty line is much higher than 26 per cent,'' Mr Ahluwalia said inaugurating a workshop on ' Women and Sanitation' here.

Thus issue of providing proper toilet facilities was not only a question of women's privacy, dignity and security, but also of povery alleviation, Mr Ahluwali said.

The issue is so much connected with all other issues like hygiene, health and availability of safe drinking water that it cannot be left to the market to solve. It requires strong government intervention and participation of local people, especially women and local bodies, he added.

He said the Planning Commission was willing to allocate more resources to construct toilets, but that alone would not solve the purpose, as that requires devolution of powers to local bodies and a strong role by NGOs.

''There are many success stories in the country and elsewhere.

The problem of defecation in the open has been solved by creating awareness in the village community concerned and by invloving them in the design and construction of toilets,'' Mr Ahluwalia said.

But there are also so many instances of these toilets constructed turning into a place for storing grains as the people could not find their location and design as per their needs and had no means to repair them once they develop some fault, he said.

Resources required for such projects are not very big, it is only the willingness of the people to become party to such projects which was needed, and for that formal education was not necessary, Mr Ahluwalia said.

The two-day workshop has been organised by the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation in collaboration with Global Rainwater Harvesting Collective (GRWHC), the Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council (WSSCC), WaterAid India and UNICEF coinciding with International Sanitation and Hygiene Week from March 15 to 21.

A large number of delegates from south Asian countries like , Pakistan , Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Afghanistan are participating in the workshop.

UNI NAZ CS RS1414