Swachh Bharat Abhiyan: International research on PM Modi's flagship mission reveals important details on economic gains

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has always paid special attention to cleanliness and in this regard also launched the Swachh Bharat Mission in 2014 -- the very year he assumed office. An international research on the Swachh Bharat Mission has now found that the annual economic gains from household sanitation are worth US $727 per household.

It also found that financial returns on household spending over 10 years is 1.7 times the cost while returns to society on total spending over 10 years is 4.3 times the cost. The poorest have a financial return of 2.6 and a societal return of 5.7 times the cost, the paper said.

Guy Hutton, Nicolas Osbert, Sumeet Patil and Avni Kumar authored the paper on "Comparison of the costs and benefits of the Clean India Mission", which found that annual benefits of US $727 per household are mainly from savings associated with reduced diarrhoea incidence (55 per cent) and from sanitation access time savings (45 per cent).

Salient points mentioned in the paper, 'Comparison of the costs and benefits of the Clean India Mission': 

- This study reports the first economic analysis of the Swachh Bharat Mission.

- Annual economic gains from household sanitation are worth US $727 per household.

- The average price paid for a toilet is US $396, which is double the subsidy received.

- Financial returns on household spending over 10 years is 1.7 times the cost.

- Returns to society on total spending over 10 years is 4.3 times the cost.

- The poorest have a financial return of 2.6 and a societal return of 5.7 times the cost.