Abstract

Human Rights is a concept developed in modern world to uplift the standard of a human life by ensuring some basic rights throughout the world. Many International instruments and domestic legislations do safeguard these human rights in one or the other form. All these human rights though provided under different categories, they are intertwined hence indivisible. The right to life is regarded as the most important human right, as it is the source of all other rights. However, a cardinal right, the right to health, supports the right to life. Our health, and the health of others we care about, is a daily concern for us as humans. Proper hygiene and sanitation in and around our place of residence can help to safeguard and promote our right to health. However, being a developed country and a country with highest population density India is struggling in maintaining international sanitation levels. According to many national and international surveys, India has the highest number of people practising open defecation. Due to lack of toilets in rural area, people do practice open defecation. Though active participation of household women and there need for a toilet increased after the awareness programmes were launched by the government. Women face more health-related issues due to unavailability of toilets during their menstrual period. Just a four-wall closed structure is not enough, but a toilet should have access to water facilities and proper hygiene is to be maintained in there. With time it was seen that state came up with many policies related to health and sanitation, though majority of them resulted in utter failure the reason was that the aim of these schemes was to construct toilets and this aim is not enough. Later, to overcome this hurdle government allocated separate budget for awareness programmes to bring behavioural changes in the society and it has been seen that rural women has played a significant role here. After passing of Swachh Bharat Mission, India is swiftly progressing towards achieving open defecation free status, though still there are many grey areas in field of health and sanitation which should be covered by the government to raise the standard of health. Nevertheless, the PRI’s and NGO’s are playing a key role in making Swachh Bharat Mission a success

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