India turns to public shaming to get people to use its 52 million new toilets

[KMack]

The patrols started at dawn, and the villagers scattered, abandoning their pails of water to avoid humiliation and fines.

Every morning in this district in rural India, teams of government employees and volunteer “motivators” roam villages to publicly shame those who relieve themselves in the open. The “good-morning squads” are part of what one official called “the largest behavioral-change program anywhere in the world.”

This is Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s flagship Clean India initiative in mission mode. By October 2019, Modi has vowed, every Indian will have access to a toilet, and the country will be free of the scourge of open defecation. Since Modi came to power, more than 52 million toilets have been installed. But the trick, sanitation experts say, is getting people to use them. .................................................. ........

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world...=.05a5cb736532

[JohnSmith]

Overpopulation causes major issues.

[Mingle]

Overpopulation causes major issues.

Bangladesh has a significantly higher population density than India yet they don't have any open defecation problem.

[JohnSmith]

Bangladesh has a significantly higher population density than India yet they don't have any open defecation problem.

I am sure they have problems.

[Fractal]

White guys coping with the fact that Indians (Aryans) are buying every hotel and gas station in California, the South, the Midwest, and taking every engineering or MD job

I feel your pain. We drive BMWs, Mercedes, Audis and live in mansions but we're not as materialistic as you think.

[Mingle]

I am sure they have problems.

I'm sure they do, but the discussion was about one specific problem though (which you tried to blame on overpopulation).

[Óttar]

This will also minimize the occurrence of sexual assault. One thing that I realized when I lived in India for a year was, there is no purpose or virtue in "roughing it" like my other White American peers in a desperate attempt to be "authentic." Like Shaka Zulu said, "If a lion were given wings, he would be a fool not to use them."

[Вavhat]

This is just in 1 district out of 707 districts in India, it’s not all of “India turns to public shaming”. Most other places of India are improving fast enough that there’s no need of such programs. Bangladesh went from 42% to 1% open defecation rate in 1 decade, and most places of India progress similar. Also it doesn’t affect every place that much, and its mainly a rural problem e.g. in urban Gujarat, open defecation rate is 2.8%, in Kerala it's 2.3% or less for both rural and urban.

[Óttar]

This is just in 1 district out of 707 districts in India, it’s not all of “India turns to public shaming”. Most other places of India are improving fast enough that there’s no need of such programs. Bangladesh went from 42% to 1% open defecation rate in 1 decade, and most places of India progress similar. Also it doesn’t affect every place that much, and its mainly a rural problem e.g. in urban Gujarat, open defecation rate is 2.8%, in Kerala it's 2.3% or less for both rural and urban.

While Modi's initiative to give all Indians internet access is commendable, I think it's clear that proper sanitation remains India's #1 priority.

[KMack]

White guys coping with the fact that Indians (Aryans) are buying every hotel and gas station in California, the South, the Midwest, and taking every engineering or MD job

I feel your pain. We drive BMWs, Mercedes, Audis and live in mansions but we're not as materialistic as you think.

Don't be so defensive. The writer of the article.
Vidhi Doshi is a reporter based in New Delhi.