Squat analysis

Almost all human development indicator data nowadays provide a gender break-up. So why not on the data on open defecation? Two members of Parliament (MPs) stumped Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh by asking for the number of women who defecate in the open. The question was whether a large number of people including women practise open defecation and, if so, the MPs wanted details indicating gender-wise percentage. Although the minister could provide the former statistics, he admitted that his ministry did not maintain gender-wise data on the subject. What the ministry did not add in its written reply was that the numbers it had were based on the funds given to various state governments to build toilets under its sanitation programme — and individuals don’t figure in this data. By its own admission, the other, more reliable data is provided by the Census that goes by the number of households that have a toilet rather than a strict head, or butt, count.