All Indian states, under the Swachh Bharat Mission, have already declared themselves ‘Open Defecation Free’ by October 2, 2019

India is committed to ensuring access to water and sanitation, a representative of India’s permanent mission to the United Nations Office at Geneva (UNOG) has said.

Speaking at the 45th session of the Human Rights Council’s interactive dialogue on ‘Human Rights to Safe Drinking Water and Sanitation’, First Secretary Vimarsh Aryan was quoted by Times of Oman saying that, “We agree with the Special Rapporteur that the fulfilment of the human rights to water and sanitation cannot be accomplished in a short time frame and is often dependent on the availability and use of resources.”

According to the report, the First Secretary pointed to India’s Jal Shakti Abhiyan which is a campaign for water conservation and water security. With the objective of citizen centric governance, India had accorded the highest priority to ensuring access to water and sanitation for all citizens. This, he said, was being done through two two flagship programmes, namely the Swachh Bharat Mission and the Jal Jeevan Mission.

Aryan explained that all Indian states, under the Swachh Bharat Mission, have already declared themselves ‘Open Defecation Free’ by October 2, 2019, the report said. He said this also means that everyone in India has access to safe sanitation.

The diplomat added that the Jal Jeevan Mission aims to provide a functional household tap connection to all households in India.