Unpacking the processes of achieving open defecation free status: a case study of Udaipur, Rajasthan

Open Defecation and its public health outcomes have been a
policy challenge in India for several decades. Concerted attempts
to address this problem were begun by the Government of India
(GoI) in 1986, with the launch of the Central Rural Sanitation
Programme (CRSP). The three decades since have seen the
efforts expand in scope, first in the form of the Total Sanitation
Campaign (TSC), then the Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan (NBA), and
since 2014, the Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM).
Each of these iterations have focussed on two aspects. Firstly,
each programme has consistently increased the toilet incentive
in nominal terms. Introduced at `3,200 by the TSC1
for Below
Poverty Line (BPL) beneficiaries, it was increased to `5,500 under
the NBA, and for the first time included Above Poverty Line (APL)
households within its ambit. In 2014, this amount was further
enhanced to `12,000 under SBM. Secondly, each iteration placed
greater emphasis on behaviour change as the primary objective.
Recognising the importance of behaviour change activities, the
Information, Education, and Communication (IEC) component in
the budget was enhanced, and the guidelines stipulated that at
least 15% of the NBA budget was to be utilised for these activities