Jairam lauds Bihar sanitation model

Ramesh,who held a review meeting of the convergence between the Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan that aims to ensure sanitation facilities in rural areas and the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act on Tuesday,said all states should follow Bihars example. I want to make a special mention of Bihar. It has brought about a three way convergence between MGNREGA,Bharat Nirman and Indira Awas Yojana. So far,only 20 per cent of houses constructed under IAY have toilets at a national level. This year,Bihar has taken a policy decision that no house will be built under IAY without a toilet. I have recommended the Bihar model to all states, Ramesh said.

The BJP and JDU have been at loggerheads ever since the elevation of Modi as BJPs election campaign chief and their subsequent split. More recently,Modi and Kumar have locked horns with both targeting each other in their speeches. Meanwhile,there has been a gradual warming of ties between the JDU and Congress and Rameshs praise for the state is yet another sign of the partys attempt to woo the JDU.