New Delhi: Union Minister Jitendra Singh on Wednesday met Rural Development Minister Nitin Gadkari and sought his help for the construction of toilets for women living in Kathua district of Jammu and Kashmir.
Singh explained to Gadkari that women, particularly those living in villages, are forced to go outdoors for toilet and that too only during the night for want of privacy during daytime. The situation is much more difficult and peculiar in case of women living in border areas since they are not able to go for open defecation even at night due to the presence of security personnel, said a government release.
"Frequent cross-border firing in the night hours further adds to the problem and makes open defecation risky," said Singh, who is the Udhampur MP and a Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office (PMO).
Singh submitted a detailed proposal-cum-project report with the Rural Development Minister regarding the construction of toilets. Singh requested appropriate orders from Gadkari for the construction of community sanitary complexes in border areas of Kathua district in Udhampur constituency exclusively for women under the total sanitation campaign for villages.
He urged Gadkari to initiate the process for such construction before the Model Code of Conduct is announced in view of the upcoming Assembly elections in the state. "Open defecation occurs generally due to socio-economic reasons and poor sanitation facilities, but open defecation by women and girls must be seen as a national shame," Singh said.
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