Modi government’s Swachh Bharat Mission saved 70,000 infant lives annually: Report
- In Reports
- 12:58 PM, Sep 06, 2024
- Myind Staff
A recent study by a US-based institute found that the Swachh Bharat Mission, launched by the Narendra Modi government, has helped prevent around 60,000-70,000 infant deaths each year. Published in the journal Scientific Reports, the study aimed to establish a link between greater access to toilets and the reduction in infant deaths from 2000 to 2020.
Launched in October 2014 by Prime Minister Modi, the Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) is one of the world's largest national sanitation programmes aimed at eliminating open defecation by providing household toilets across India.
The Nature study titled, ‘Toilet construction under the Swachh Bharat Mission and infant mortality in India’, has been authored by Suman Chakrabarti, Soyra Gune, Tim A Bruckner, Julie Strominger and Parvati Singh and published on September 2.
Researchers from the International Food Policy Research Institute in the United States examined the infant mortality rate (IMR) and the under-five mortality rate (U5MR) across 35 states and 640 districts between 2011 and 2020. The IMR refers to the number of deaths of children under one year of age per 1,000 live births.
Among the key findings, the study highlighted a strong inverse relationship between toilet access and child mortality in India. Following the launch of the Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) in 2014, the number of toilets constructed increased significantly. Since 2014, over 117 million toilets have been built with a public investment exceeding 1.4 lakh crore, the study noted.
The study revealed that a 10 per cent improvement in toilet access at a district level led to a 0.9 per cent reduction in infant deaths.
“Based on our regression estimates, the provision of toilets at scale may have contributed to averting approximately 60,000–70,000 infant deaths annually. Our findings show that the implementation of transformative sanitation programs can deliver population health benefits in low- and middle-income countries,” reads the abstract of the report.
“The findings are in line with evidence from global and South Asian contexts, with multiple studies, that analysed population-level data collected via surveys, indicating that improved sanitation can potentially cut child mortality rates by 5-30 per cent,” the report added.
The report also noted that improved access to toilets enhanced women's safety and led to financial savings due to reduced medical expenses and an improved quality of life.
Image source: Wion
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