A notification was issued by the Himachal government to impose toilet tax in urban areas on September 21, which was withdrawn by the evening with some modification being performed over it, but since then the news got leaked and reached the offices of the other political parties, who raised concerns over the state governments’ carrot-and-stick approach. If the toilet tax issue is viewed through the prism of the Swachh Bharat Mission lens, the decision appears to be imprudent and casual. Very recently, the state declared itself to have achieved a milestone in providing toilets to each household and put a stop to open defecation completely.
The Swachh Bharat was launched in 2014 with a mission to accomplish the mission of clean India by providing basic toilets to each household in rural areas, and the government allocated $10 billion for this project. It was inspired by patriotism by following the footprints of the father of the nation, who devoted one portion of his life to the upliftment of the Harijan class (lower strata of people).
However, the tax notification issued by the Himachal government has rolled back when the opposition parties raised the issues in political campaigns in the ongoing state election campaigns in Haryana, Maharashtra, and Jammu and Kashmir. The original notification issued from the office of Additional Chief Secretary (Jal Shakti) of Himachal Pradesh stated, “Sewage charged shall be levied @ 25/- per seat per month.”
We live in a nation where not only sanitation is a challenge, but also the awareness of cleanliness is a bigger challenge. People practice open defecation and clean hands with soil. If toilets will be taxed, then a huge chunk of our population will sacrifice their health because rural India survives on free rations (5 kg wheat and 5 kg rice) being offered by the central government since the Corona havoc.
Introducing a tax on basic amenities and cleanliness by the state government when the central government is hell bent on providing basic facilities to each household appears to be ridiculous and imprudent in a country like India. The corruption is not only the chronic disease of India but also the irresponsible behavior of policymakers.
Although rolled back by the Himachal government, the credibility of the state government is under public criticism because all the states of India are working on the model to provide all basic facilities (pukka house, electricity, water, ration, and so on) to their citizens free of cost, but the Himachal government will put a cap on free water for the households with an annual income of INR 50,000 from October onwards.
The affordability of the public does not come into consideration while framing the policy, which is a gross injustice in a democratic setup of the government.