Make Toilets a part of pop culture - Jairam Ramesh, Shivraj Singh Chauhan, Uma Bharti and Jack Sim - India Today Conclave

"Make Toilets a part of pop culture"

Session: Savlation vs Sanitation: Toilets before temples for a new India

The idea for this session emerged out of a quip made by Jairam Ramesh, Union Munister of Rural Development, at Narendra Modi at last year's conclave. This year, Ramesh was back to speak on his favourite topic—about the need for an India where everyone had access to a covered toilet. Hestarted off by saying that sanitation should be as much a national obsession as cricket, politics and Bollywood. "We may be the most spiritual country in the world but if 60 per cent of the women defecate in the open, then I ask what kind of spirituality this is," he said. Hereminded what he has said earlier about the sad reality, that India Railways is the largest open toilet system in the world, and went on to say that in 10 years we should make India an open defecation-free country. "Under our Nirmal Gram scheme, in two-and-half years, 25 per cent of gram panchayats are now free from open defecation," he said, adding that the biggest problem was providing toilet facilities to urban poor.

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan joined in, saying saniation and spirituality go hand in hand and can't be put against each other. He spoke of his government's 'Maryada Abhiyaan' to build toilets in every house of the state. He added, "The biggest problem is the mindset of the people. They still feel comfortable defecating in the open. We need to change that."

BJP's Uma Bharti began by thanking Ramesh for his encouragement to her on her Ganga and Himalaya Bachao Abhiyaan. The sadhvi insisted that we can't compare a temple with a toilet. She said the government should make building toilets in all houses mandatory, that there should be a provision, especially in bigger cities like Delhi and Mumbai, that toilets are built for women laborers. She said, "When rich people get their daughters or son married they spend thousands of crores on the wedding. They should come forward and build thousand of toilets rather than spending the money on something else."

The final speaker of the evening was Jack Sim, the founder ofRestroom Association of Singapore and World Toilet Association. He regaled the audience by proposing that religious leaders, public figures, celebrities should all be encouraged to compete and participate in a national campaign for toilets for everyone. He said, "When we are children, we are told not to talk about shit. When we can't talk about it, how then can we improve it?" He suggested that companies that provide 2 per cent of their profit for CSR should be encouraged to spend the amount on building public toilets. "We have to create a revolution that makes toilets sexy. To make people ask friends if their houses have a toilet? Ego will ensure that they too desire a swanky toilet of their own, as much as they desire a new cellphone, he said.

Source : Equity Bulls

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