How Centre's 'Swachha Bharat Mission' Saved 70,000 Infant Lives A Year

The study estimates that 60,000-70,000 infant deaths a year were averted by the construction of toilets under the Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM).

The Swachh Bharat Mission, a national cleanliness programme, launched in 2014 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, may have reduced infant mortality through the construction of toilets and improved sanitation, a new study published in Nature journal suggests.

The study conducted by the US-based International Food Policy Research Institute was published in Nature, a leading scientific journal in the world, and estimates that 60,000-70,000 infant deaths a year were averted by the construction of toilets under the Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM).

The study investigated the association between the initiative and infant mortality rate and the Under Five Mortality Rate (UFMR) in India. Data was analysed from thirty-five states and 640 districts spanning 10 years (2011-2020).