Target on construction of toilets in urban areas on course:

The government today said the target on construction of toilets in urban areas in the country under Swachh Bharat Mission has been "broadly on course" after it brought down its aim of building 66.42 lakh toilets from the earlier 1.04 crore target by 2019.
"During the two years of Swachh Bharat Mission, 22,97,389 individual household toilets have so far been constructed in urban areas of the country as against the five year mission target of 66,42,221 such toilets to be built by 2019.
"With 35 per cent of mission target being met in two years i.E. 40 per cent of the mission duration, construction of toilets meant for ending Open Defecation in urban areas is broadly on course," an official release said.

Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh have met the mission targets three years ahead in September this year with Gujarat constructing 4,06,388 toilets and Andhra Pradesh building 1,93,426 toilets in urban areas, it added.
Minister of Urban Development M Venkaiah Naidu reviewed the progress of the mission in urban areas today.
Other leading performers are Kerala (meeting 68 per cent of the mission target) Chattisgarh (61 per cent) Madhya Pradesh (46 per cent) and Tamil Nadu (43 per cent).

However, the states and UTs who have built less than 10 per cent of mission targets are : Manipur, Bihar, Uttarakhand, Odisha, Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh.

Swachh Bharat Mission was launched on October 2, 2014 with a target to construct 1.04 crore individual household toilets in urban areas.
"Subsequently, taking into consideration the construction of toilets during 2011-14, mission target in this regard has been revised to 66,42,221 toilets based on the assessment of states/UTs," the release said.