Stating that mere offering financial aid would not help, Hema Prasanna, coordinator of Communication Development and Learning, a non-governmental organisation, has said that unless people changed their mindset, it was not possible to free India from open defecation.
Speaking at a one-day workshop for mediapersons on sanitation organised jointly by Communication Development and Learning, the Vijayapura Zilla Panchayat and the district unit of the Karnataka Union of Working Journalists here on Wednesday, she said that media has a greater role to play in changing the mindset of the people.
She said that though both the Union and State governments have been offering funds for building individual toilets, yet people were not coming forward as they have a certain reason for that.
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“During a survey, we found people giving reasons such as they have no water for toilet, no space or they cannot have a toilet inside the house as God resides there. These were some strange reasons given for not getting a toilet constructed. They are giving excuses only because they are not ready to change their mindset and still believe open defecation is right,” she said.
Stating that seven out of 10 Indians still use open areas for defecation, Ms. Prasanna said that 39 per cent of the people in rural areas do not have individual toilets.
She said that to achieve the goal of making India open defecation-free under the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan by 2019, the media should ensure that news is written in a manner that educates and encourages the people to get toilets constructed and use them.
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In his address, Sundresh Babu, Chief Executive Officer of the Zilla Panchayat, regretted that Vijayapura district was still lagging in getting individual toilets constructed as people were not coming forward despite a financial aid of Rs. 12,000 was being offered to them for getting a toilet constructed.
Mr. Sundresh Babu said that the zilla panchayat has set a target of getting 50,000 individual toilets constructed this year.