New Delhi, Dec. 21, 2012: A two day National Consultation with State Ministers and Secretaries in charge of Rural Sanitation on implementation of Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan organised by the Ministry of Drinking Water & Sanitation concluded in New Delhi today. The Minister of Drinking Water & Sanitation Shri Bharatsinh Solanki chaired the National Consultations with State Ministers and Principal Secretaries/ Secretaries in charge of Rural Sanitation.

New Delhi, Dec. 29, 2012: Since the launch of National Rural Health Mission 7 years ago, substantial progress has been made in health sector. Over 8,60,000 ASHAs have been appointed to act as bridge between the communities and the health facilities in the villages. New Health Infrastructure has been created. A total of 70,000 beds have been increased in government health institutions for provision of essential and emergency services.

Ranchi, Dec. 11, 2012: Lack of toilets and poor sanitation in Jharkhand causes 7.5 crore man-day loss every year and results into an estimated loss of Rs 1200-odd crore annually. Bharat Singh Solanki, Union minister of state with independent charge of the ministry of drinking water and sanitation, recently informed Rajya Sabha that Jharkhand has performed far below the national average in achieving total sanitation.

Mapusa, Dec. 7, 2012: Chief minister Manohar Parrikar has launched the block level Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan (NBA) for Bardez taluka in the presence of several ministers, MLAs and panchayat members at a function organized at Bodgeshwar hall, Mapusa on Thursday.

NBA is a centrally sponsored scheme on rural sanitation under the ministry of drinking water and sanitation, government of India. Public works department (PWD) is the implementing agency in the state.

New Delhi, Dec. 5, 2012: The goal of the Twelfth Plan will be that 50 per cent of the Gram Panchayats attain Nirmal Gram status by the year 2017.
• The APL–BPL distinction and the focus on individual toilets are to be replaced by a habitation saturation approach.

Lucknow, Dec. 5, 2012: Chief minister Akhilesh Yadav held a meeting of his cabinet colleagues on Tuesday to deliberate upon the proposals for approval related to government contribution to boost the handicraft industry, renaming of Sampoorna Swachta Abhiyan (Total Sanitation Campaign) as Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan (Clean India Campaign) and increasing the state government's contribution in funding of sanitation schemes and national micro-irrigation schemes.

Bhopal, Dec. 1, 2012: The Centre is planning to formulate a law against the use of dry toilets and the erring persons could even be sent to jail, Union Minister Jairam Ramesh said on Friday.

"The Government will soon formulate a law under which users of dry toilets will be punished and even sent to jail," the Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Minister said while addressing a programme to launch "Maila Mukti Yatra" under Rashtriya Garima Abhiyan.

New Delhi, Nov. 28, 2012: Union Human Resource Development (HRD) Minister Dr. M.M. Pallam Raju on Wednesday said awareness generation on sanitation and hygiene issues among school children, teachers and parents can help create behavioral change within the society.

Emphasizing on the need to ‘catch them young’, he said personal hygiene and environmental sanitation will help students develop good habits in their formative years.

Jaipur, Nov. 27, 2012: Holding sanitation and hygiene as crucial components in ensuring a healthy lifestyle, especially in country's rural pockets, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot today backed Union Rural Development minister Jairam Ramesh, saying his 'toilet' remarks were taken out of context.

"What Ramesh said in connection with toilets was made controversial unnecessarily. His statements were presented in a wrong manner and the feelings behind the minister's view were for health and hygiene and we should understand its importance," Gehlot said.

Tamil Nadu, Nov 23, 2012: With a view to achieving 100 per cent sanitation in rural areas and to give a new thrust to the sanitation front towards declaring Tamil Nadu as an ‘Open Defecation-free State’, Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa on Wednesday ordered the construction of integrated sanitary complexes for men in 770 village panchayats at an expenditure of Rs 35 crore during the current financial year.