Haryana achieves 86 percent target of toilets

Haryana has achieved 86 percent of the target of constructing personal toilets in all houses in the state, Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar said on Wednesday.

Speaking at the fourth meeting of the sub-group of chief ministers for the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan in New Delhi on Wednesday, Khattar said Haryana had made it mandatory for contesting candidates for panchayat elections to have toilets in their homes.

"Considering the decision of the Haryana government to make construction of toilets in their homes a mandatory condition for the candidates of Panchayati Raj institution elections as a significant step towards the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, it was recommended to implement this decision in other states as well," a state government spokesman said in Chandigarh.

This was the fourth and last meeting of the Niti Aayog sub-group and the report of the meeting would be sent to the union government along with the sub-group's recommendations within 10 days.

"A unanimous recommendation has been made to provide a grant of Rs.15,000 each to the BPL (below poverty line) families for the construction of toilets and to give awards from village to state level for Swachhta Abhiyan," Khattar said.