MANY PEOPLE in India own a mobile phone, but not all of them have toilet facilities, which is a must in any country for the sake of hygiene. So it’s understandable when Rural development minister Jairam Ramesh said that India is the dirtiest and the filthiest country in the world, reported PTI.

If we look at the study that was conducted by the United Nations University in the year 2008, only 36% had proper access to sanitation in the country. On the other hand, almost 50% of the Indian population had mobile phones with them. In all probability, things have not changed by much in 2011. It is sure that people having proper access to sanitation must have been stagnant in the past 3 years or so, but the mobile phone users in the country have increased to 729.57 million in 2011, which is also expected to increase to billion in the near future. One has to wonder, which one of these is a necessity?

People in India are not aware of what health benefits it would bring to them if they have good sanitation facilities at their disposal. But, what can these people, especially in rural areas also do, when they have no toilets in the region, so they are always seen defecating in the open. The government needs to look into the matter and help in setting up toilets at these places.

As reported by rediff.com, a report that had been released by WHO and UNICEF, states that India tops the chart as far as defecating in the open is concerned, which stands at 665 million people. This is a stat that the Indian government would not be really proud of.

There have been several jokes that have been made about India by international stand-up comedians too, where they say, the first thing that welcomes you when you move out of the airport in India is the typical Indian foul smell, which turns them off.