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Monday, April 27, 2026
TopicOpen defecation

Topic: open defecation

On World Toilet Day, a look at India’s sanitation data and the ground realities

Every year on 19 November, the UN celebrates World Toilet Day to create awareness about the 4.2 billion people who are living without ‘safely managed sanitation’.

Study finds Indian households with female children reduce practice of open defecation

The study found a reduction in open defecation owing to a firstborn child being a girl far greater in poor urban households than richer ones.

More people in rural India defecate in open than what govt’s household survey shows: Study

India’s Demographic and Health Survey that asks household-level questions greatly underestimates open defecation among households with latrines.

Roshni, the Shivpuri Dalit girl killed for ‘open defecation’, wanted to become a doctor

Roshni, 12, and her minor nephew Avinash were beaten to death in MP for allegedly defecating in the open, triggering a wave of shame and anger in the country.

This Delhi village was declared open defecation-free by its BJP MP in 2018. Except it isn’t

North-West Delhi MP Udit Raj had declared Jheemarpura ODF in May 2018, but residents still complain of a lack of toilets and other infrastructure.

Use of public toilets costs slum dwellers 104 times what those with own toilets spend

Study suggests the high user charges are undermining the benefits of the Modi government’s flagship Swachh Bharat Abhiyan.

The Indian state where development is more on a par with Pakistan than India

Like Pakistan, Uttar Pradesh is home to about 200 million people, which it can’t seem to take care of very well.

Modi wants open defecation-free India but his own adopted village paints a dirty picture

Rural Development Ministry data shows Modi's village Nagepur in Varanasi is not open defecation-free, scores zero out of three.

Gujarat ‘open defecation-free’, but CAG flushes Modi govt’s claim down the toilet

The CAG report, tabled in Gujarat assembly, shows nearly 30% of the households in 120 gram panchayats do not have toilets. 

Bangladesh and Tanzania have a lesson or two for India on open defecation

Like Bangladesh and Tanzania, India can adopt strategies that generate shame and disgust to trigger collective action.

On Camera

Jaipur’s havelis, bazaars are disappearing. Even UNESCO tag can’t protect heritage in India

When Jaipur continues to draw millions of tourists on the promise of its history, architecture, craft, and traditions, why is its heritage value being allowed to erode?

Strategic petroleum reserves: Why India needs bigger oil buffers & how others compare | Cut The Clutter

This is the transcript of Ep 1830 of Cut the Clutter, where Shekhar Gupta explains why strategic petroleum reserves are a national necessity & how India compares with China, US & Japan.

DRDO unveils amphibious battle platforms with crewless turrets, anti-tank missile capability

Tracked and wheeled variants, built in collaboration with Tata Advanced Systems and Bharat Forge, carry 30mm turrets, cross water using hydro jets, and are 65% indigenous.

Trump, Netanyahu’s Iran gamble: The regime change rebound

American objectives are unmet. They neither have muscle nor motivation to resume the war. As for Iran, the regime didn’t just survive, it’s now led by more radical individuals.