06 Feb 2024 : The Hindu Editorial

Topic 1 : A critical view of the ‘sanitation miracle’ in rural India

Context: The government needs to identify the shortcomings in the existing programme if it wants to transform India from open defecation free to open defecation free-plus status by 2024-25.

Introduction

• India has made significant progress in improving sanitation coverage over the past decade, with the country's sanitation programmes starting with the highly subsidised Central Rural Sanitation Programme in 1986.
• The Total Sanitation Campaign in 1999 transitioned to a low subsidy regime, and the Swachh Bharat Mission-Grameen in 2014 aimed to make India Open Defecation Free (ODF) by October 2019.

India's Sanitation Improvement and Behavioural Change

• The Indian government has reported a significant improvement in sanitation coverage from 39% in 2014 to 100% in 2019, with the aim of transforming India from ODF to ODF Plus by 2024-25. However, this impressive performance requires behavioural change to ensure sustainability.
• A National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) survey revealed that in 2012, 59% of rural households had no access to a toilet, and 4% of those who had access reported not using the facility.
• Primary reasons for not using toilets included lack of superstructure, malfunctioning facilities, unhygienic/unclean facilities, and personal reasons.
• A 2018 survey found that 59% of households in Bihar, 66% in Gujarat, and 76% in Telangana had toilet access, but 38% had at least one member who did not use it. A higher non-use of toilets in Gujarat was due to a lack of water access in Dahod district.
• In 2020, 27% of households in Gujarat and 61% in West Bengal did not have their own toilets, and around 3% did not use their own in either state. Social norms of purity and quality issues were also major reasons for non-use.
• The National Annual Rural Sanitation Survey (NARSS)- Round-3 (2019-20) showed that 95% of the rural population had toilet access, with 96% of toilets being functional and almost all having access to water. However, only 85% of the rural population used safe, functional, and hygienic toilets.
• These surveys highlight two major issues: left-out households and toilets unused for defecation. The left-out households need to be covered in Phase II, while the government should identify shortcomings from the previous phase and address gaps in the present phase.

Household size, social norms

• The study reveals that toilet use in India is influenced by factors such as economic conditions, education, and household size.
  • Overcrowding and social norms prevent all household members from using the same toilet, with only 3%-4% of households having multiple toilets.
  • Access to water is also a factor, with toilet use being high in remote and backward villages with doorstep access. Additionally, households with detached bathrooms have reduced toilet use chances.
• Phase II of the programme does not mandate multiple toilets or provide provisions for building attached bathrooms.
  • The Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) programme aims to provide tap water to each household by 2024, but no relation has been observed between per capita central expenses and the percentage of villages declared ODF Plus across states.
• Social norms through social networks play a significant role in toilet construction and use. In upper caste-dominated villages, lower castes have high brokerage, making sanitation decisions less likely to be taken independently.
  • On the other hand, sanitation networks in upper caste villages are more cohesive, smaller, and diverse.
• Sanitation behaviour varies across socio-economic classes, with access to toilets highest for upper castes (97%) and lowest for Scheduled Castes (95%).
  • The study suggests that sanitation behavioural change campaigns should consider construction and use, as well as the variation in networks between villages. Phase II of the SBM-G does not seem to have given enough thought to social engineering through social networks in a society plagued by regressive norms and caste hierarchy.

Way forward: Synergy of Programs

• Between 2014 and 2019, around 10 crore toilets were constructed in India, boosting awareness about safe sanitation practices. However, collective behavioral change in sanitation is still needed. It depends on social networks and overall improvement of living standards, including better housing and access to basic services.
• India's lack of overall planning has led to a lack of synergy of programs, despite high expenditure on fulfilling basic needs. Uncoordinated efforts could lead to inefficient use of public finances.

Topic 2 : An Uttar Pradesh model to tackle malnutrition.

Context: Community-based micro enterprises, led by women’s self-help groups, produce fortified and nutritious foods as take-home ration through the Integrated Child Development Services programme.

Introduction

• Uttar Pradesh is a remarkable example of the importance of women’s empowerment in tackling malnutrition by supporting community-based micro enterprises led by self-help groups.
• These enterprises produce fortified and nutritious foods for pregnant/breastfeeding mothers and children, provided as take-home ration through the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) programme.

Uttar Pradesh State Rural Livelihood Mission and a Collaboration!

• In 2020, the Department of Women and Child Development and the Uttar Pradesh State Rural Livelihood Mission collaborated to set up a decentralised production of take-home rations by women’s enterprises.
• The model involves the production of different variants for ICDS beneficiaries. This is done by a 20-member women group that uses automated equipment with a capacity of five metric tonnes per day.
• The feasibility of this model was demonstrated by the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) by using two pilot plants in Unnao and Fatehpur in 2021.
• After positive feedback and commitment from the Government of Uttar Pradesh, this project expanded to 202 production units across 43 districts in just over two years. This has created livelihood opportunities for 4,080 women, reaching 12 million ICDS beneficiaries.

Women’s empowerment for Nutrition

• Over 4,000 women in Uttar Pradesh have formed 204 self-help group micro enterprises to produce and distribute take home rations, a gender-transformative approach that provides livelihood opportunities and economic empowerment.
• The government has transitioned from a centralized model to a de-centralised model, allowing women from self-help groups to prepare specific caloric values rations and supply them at subsidized rates.
• The aim is to generate an additional income of ₹8,000 a month for each woman. The Department of Women and Child Development has also re-formulated the take home ration to include high-quality milk powder, oil, vitamins, and minerals, supporting children's health and preventing malnutrition.
• Different formulations have been designed for different groups, and packaging has been reworked to reflect quality and community demand.
• National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories-accredited laboratories test the products before dispatch to Anganwadi centres to ensure food safety and calorie and protein values.

Strengthening demand!

• The World Food Programme (WFP) and the Department of Women and Child Development are working together to improve the nutritional value and utilization of supplementary nutrition provided through the Indian Child Development Scheme (ICDS).
• The aim is to make take-home ration products more nutritious and diverse, increasing consumption. This is achieved through a validated process that improves existing products and develops new ones under ICDS norms and global guidelines.
• The products include sweet and savoury options, and come in age-appropriate, color-coded packaging with information on infant and young child feeding practices.
• The packaging also includes ingredients, nutritional information, cooking instructions, storage directions, food safety and hygiene messages, manufacturing dates, and batch numbers, all in line with Food Safety and Standards Authority of India regulations.

Fostering innovation and sustainability

• An app-based solution is being developed to build the capacities of women to produce take home rations. To improve the viability of the production units, women will receive training to develop nutritious products for the local market.
• They will use the same units they use to produce take home rations, which will enhance their income, improve the revenue of the take home ration units, and ensure the availability of nutritious food in local markets.
• A pilot project is being implemented to strengthen the supply chain and track home rations using QR codes during delivery. The WFP supports this project and will enable government officials to track the Take home ration production, delivery status, and value chain.

Conclusion

• The expansion of micro-enterprises led by women, producing take-home rations for supplementary nutrition, demonstrates successful targeting and sustainable processes for improving long-term nutrition in communities.
• This highlights the importance of a multi-stakeholder approach for technically sound, comprehensive solutions that are scalable and community based.