Squatting with Dignity: Lessons from India

By Alok Kumar

This is the story of the successes and challenges faced in building the fast expanding rural sanitation network in India. It presents a detailed account of the development of the rural sanitation movement in India in the last decade. It is a story of breaking of sanitation taboos in India and teaching people to defecate with dignity and privacy. The book presents a historical account of the importance attached to sanitation and hygiene in ancient India and the evolution of sanitation policy in modern India.

Operationalizing reforms in a vast country like India, where pace and status of development varies significantly from state to state, is not an easy task. This book captures in detail the key debates and challenges faced in making policy makers and program managers across the states accept the reform principles in the Total Sanitation Campaign, the process of involving different key stakeholders in developing faith and conviction in TSC strategy and the development of key building blocks for program management. The key factors which influenced the success of the program and the lessons learned have been critically analyzed and presented in the book. One chapter introspects about the weaknesses in the program and the scope of improvement. The book outlines a vision for the future of the sanitation program in India and offers innovative ideas for launching a second generation of sanitation initiatives. The lessons from India are equally relevant for other countries in the world that are struggling with similar issues.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 8132107446
• ISBN13: 9788132107446
• Release Date: March 2010
• Publisher: Sage Publications Pvt. Ltd
• Length: 408 Pages
• Weight: 1.14 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.5" x 8.5"