38,408 schools, 2.86 lakh anganwadi centres don't have functional toilets: Government tells Rajya Sabha

NEW DELHI: As many as 38,408 schools and 2,86,310 anganwadi centres across the country do not have functional toilets, the Union government informed the Rajya Sabha on Monday.

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Replying to a question of NCP MP Vandana Chavan in the Upper House, Minister of State for Jal Shakti Prahlad Singh Patel also said that 2,85,103 schools do not have handwashing facilities. The minister said 6,50,481 schools sourced drinking water from handpumps, while 61,627 schools got it from unprotected wells. He added that 82,708 schools received drinking water from protected wells, while 4,15,102 schools had tap water supplies.

As many as 68,374 schools supplied packaged or bottled drinking water, while 1,74,632 schools accessed drinking water from "other sources". Of the 2,86,310 anganwadi centres without functional toilets, the maximum of 53,496 were in Maharashtra followed by 40,444 in Odisha. In Rajasthan, 29,098 anganwadi centres did not have toilet facilities, while in Assam 22,819 centres lacked such facilities, Patel said. In West Bengal, 20,884 anganwadi centres did not have toilet facilities, followed by Telangana (18,072), Andhra Pradesh (14,731), Karnataka (13,518), Uttar Pradesh (12,891), Jharkhand (12,883).

According to data from the states/Union Territories 47,022 tests for quality of water have been conducted in schools and anganwadi centres, using Field Test Kits during 2021-22, Patel said. He said under the Jal Jeevan Mission, a special campaign was launched on October 2, 2020, to provide potable piped water to all schools, anganwadi centres, tribal residential schools, across rural India for ensuring safe water, sanitation and hygiene facilities for the wellbeing of children.

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In reply to a separate question, Patel said 5.37 crore households have been provided tap water connections since August 2019, when the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) was launched. Before the launch of the mission, 3.23 crore or 17 per cent of the total 18.93 crore households had tap water connections, he said, adding that under JJM, tap water connection is provided to a household for potable water in adequate quantity of prescribed quality on a regular and long-term basis.