Abstract. Sanitation and allied health issues are causes for serious concern in India, especially the ruralscape. Through its flagship programme, Swachh Bharat Mission (Gramin), the Centre aims at addressing a major part of the sanitation issue. Several aspects of this scheme demand scholarly evaluation for successful implementation. Hence, the present study aims to measure the following: perception and awareness about sanitation, the need for toilets and the SBM (G) scheme; access to the scheme; level of adoption; usage; and the barriers that stand between awareness and adoption, using a survey of 412 families. Study results indicated a reach of 70 percent. Open-defecation had been the primary practice for a majority of the families and it was difficult for them to change that social habit. Study results also indicated that activists, mass media and government sources were the main motivators creating awareness about the scheme for toilet construction. Further, there was a positive correlation between Severity-Susceptibility-Benefits and the awareness about the SBA scheme for toilet construction, lending credence to the Health Belief Model.

Funding: This paper is a part of a project funded by theNational Council for Rural Institutes(NCRI)