Mapping the Politics of Shauchalaya in Dalit Localities: An Inquiry. Issue 1 (May 2017) - Prasad, Devi
The Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, said, [ P ] ehle shauchalaya, phir devalaya (Build toilet first and temples later). On the day of 'Gandhi Jayanti' (2 October) in 2014, 'Swachh Bharat Abhiyan' was launched officially. In this regard, this article attempts to understand the idea of 'Nirmal Gram Puraskar' (NGP) through a comparative analysis of drinking water and sanitary conditions as well as utilization of the fund between localities in Dalit and middle backward/higher castes. This article also covers historical–ethnographic details of the 'cleanliness' and the politics of 'Swachh Bharat' (clean India). Primary data are based on five (NGP awarded) villages namely Mukurala, Ankiraopally, Munimoksham, Polkampally and Thirumalam Pally of Mahabubnagar district in Telangana. The data show that the conditions of functional toilets in Dalit localities remain under very unhygienic conditions. It is also found that due to caste prejudice, the implementation of the programme (NGPs) is not much effective in Dalit localities in comparison to non-Dalit localities.