NEW DELHI: All schools across the country will be provided potable water and sanitation facilities by the end of the current financial year, according to Union Rural Development Minister Raghuvansh Prasad Singh.

Talking to reporters here on Friday, after reviewing the performance of the States in implementing drinking water and sanitation schemes with State secretaries in charge of these schemes, Mr. Singh said the work to provide drinking water and construct toilets picked up after the Centre increased its share of funds to 70 per cent and the States were asked to contribute the remaining amount, as against the earlier system where the Centre gave 60 per cent of the funds, the States gave 20 per cent and the remaining was given by the community.

As far as the schools were concerned, 28,444 still had no drinking water but these would be provided the facility by March-end and of the 9.13 lakh schools that had no sanitation facilities (including separate toilets for girls and boys in co-education schools), 3.1 lakh now had toilets. "Construction is on at a war footing in a large number of the remaining schools and the target is expected to be fulfilled by the close of the financial year as funds have already been released," he said.

On sanitation in schools, Tripura, Sikkim, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu and Haryana had done well in reaching the goal while Punjab, Uttaranchal, Chhattisgarh and Himachal Pradesh continued to lag behind.

On providing sanitation to all households, Mr. Singh said the coverage had increased from 22 per cent to 49 per cent now.

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