"To ensure effective implementation of policies addressing water, sanitation and hygiene needs the…

Question

"To ensure effective implementation of policies addressing water, sanitation and hygiene needs the identification of the beneficiary segments is to be synchronized with the anticipated outcomes." Examine the statement in the context of the WASH scheme.

Ghissu Editorial · Accepted Answer

Effective WASH policy needs each beneficiary segment, such as schoolgirls, women water managers and sewer workers, tied to its own outcome of use, safety and quality rather than to a count of toilets or taps. The NSS 76th round (2018) found about 71% rural latrine access against near-total reported coverage.

**Introduction**

India delivers WASH through the Swachh Bharat Mission (2014) and the Jal Jeevan Mission (2019), giving shape to SDG 6 and the right to clean water read into Article 21 in Subhash Kumar v State of Bihar (1991). The statement holds that each beneficiary group must be defined by the outcome it must reach, not by assets built.

**How WASH Schemes Match Segments to Outcomes**

SKETCH: flow | Synchronising Targeting with Outcomes
- Map need by segment
- Fix outcome per segment
- Tailor the intervention
- Measure use and quality
- Retarget the gaps

1. **Use over construction**: SBM-Gramin paired its ₹12,000 toilet incentive with community-led triggering and swachhagrahis, because the outcome sought was behaviour change, and rural India was declared open defecation free in 2019.
2. **Women and girls**: The Jal Jeevan Mission trained nearly 25 lakh women to test water with field kits (PIB, 2025), and the Swachh Vidyalaya Abhiyan (2014) built separate toilets for girls to keep them in school.
3. **Workers at risk**: NAMASTE (2023) targets sewer and septic tank workers for safe, mechanised cleaning, validating 88,448 workers by September 2025 (PIB).

**Where Targeting and Outcomes Still Diverge**

1. **Output metrics**: The NSS 76th round (2018) found about 71% of rural households with latrine access while records showed near-total coverage, so targets tracked construction rather than use.
2. **Slippage and quality**: SBM-G Phase II moved to ODF Plus to sustain gains, and the CAG's 2025 Bihar audit noted arsenic, fluoride or iron contamination in 28 of 38 districts, so a tap connection alone cannot be the outcome.
3. **Missed segments**: Slum migrants, homeless people and persons with disabilities fall outside household-based targeting.

**Conclusion**

The statement is largely valid: WASH outcomes improved where segments were defined by need and lagged where coverage was counted. Tracking use, functionality and quality for each segment turns Antyodaya into real health and dignity.

"To ensure effective implementation of policies addressing water, sanitation and hygiene needs the identification of the beneficiary segments is to be synchronized with the anticipated outcomes." Examine the statement in the context of the WASH scheme.

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