97.48% Government Schools have facilities of separate Girls’ toilets

Government taking several steps to ensure that access to safe water and sanitation does not become a barrier for women’s mobility and development. The Government has taken cognizance of the fact that access to sanitation is a matter of fundamental dignity and safety for women and girls.

The flagship programme Swachh Bharat Mission has brought a paradigm shift in these gendered social norms through attitudinal change.

Through a saturation approach, access to safe sanitation through the construction of 11.64 crore household toilets, access to tap water connections for 15.13 crore rural households, and provision of clean cooking gas connections to over 10.3 crore women, the Government of India is ensuring that access to safe water and sanitation does not become a barrier for women’s mobility and development.

Further, the construction of community and public toilets has also helped in addressing and mitigating the health impacts of marginalized groups, such as sanitation workers, ragpickers, informal sector workers, street vendors and others navigating urban areas.

Under the Swachh Vidyalaya Mission, it was ensured that all schools have at least one functional toilet for girls. As per UDISE+2021-22, 97.48% Government Schools have the facilities of separate Girls’ toilets and 98.2% Government Schools have the facilities of drinking water.

Further, advisory has been issued to all States/ UTs to utilize funds earmarked for Menstrual Hygiene Management (MHM) and management of menstrual waste under Swachh Bharat Mission (Gramin) Phase-II, 15th Finance Commission, at village level, for installation or maintenance of incinerators in schools having girls from classes VI to XII and for creating awareness on MHM among adolescent girls and in the society in general.