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Ramesh in row: Women want mobiles, not toilets
Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh on Friday stirred controversy as he blamed women for demanding mobile phones and not toilets.
He was speaking at a function to launch the Asia-Pacific-Millennium Development Goals prepared by the UNESACP here.
“Women demand mobile phones, they are not demanding toilets,” he said while noting that sanitation is the much more difficult issue. “Now we are talking of behavioural changes and women demand mobile phones. They are not demanding toilets. That is the mindset we have....”
Underlining that sanitation was a difficult issue in the country, Ramesh said that India is a land of paradox as the country accounts for almost 60 per cent of those relieving themselves in the open across the globe at a time when it has 700 million mobile phones.
“The fact is toilets are used as storage godowns. Part of it (the problem) is pathetic money,” Ramesh said.
The Minister said he would also speak to film-maker Shyam Benegal to make a movie on sanitation as he had done on milk cooperatives by making film Manthan which had helped popularise the concept of milk cooperatives among women.
He also stressed on increasing funds under the scheme as construction of quality toilets in rural areas needs Rs 8,000 each while only Rs 3,000 is being provided under the Government norms.
Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh on Friday stirred controversy as he blamed women for demanding mobile phones and not toilets.
He was speaking at a function to launch the Asia-Pacific-Millennium Development Goals prepared by the UNESACP here.
“Women demand mobile phones, they are not demanding toilets,” he said while noting that sanitation is the much more difficult issue. “Now we are talking of behavioural changes and women demand mobile phones. They are not demanding toilets. That is the mindset we have....”
Underlining that sanitation was a difficult issue in the country, Ramesh said that India is a land of paradox as the country accounts for almost 60 per cent of those relieving themselves in the open across the globe at a time when it has 700 million mobile phones.
“The fact is toilets are used as storage godowns. Part of it (the problem) is pathetic money,” Ramesh said.
The Minister said he would also speak to film-maker Shyam Benegal to make a movie on sanitation as he had done on milk cooperatives by making film Manthan which had helped popularise the concept of milk cooperatives among women.
He also stressed on increasing funds under the scheme as construction of quality toilets in rural areas needs Rs 8,000 each while only Rs 3,000 is being provided under the Government norms.
