Patna, Nov. 3 (PTI): After turning role model in implementing the Right to Information Act, introducing E-shakti to weed out corruption in the MGNREGA and steps towards women’s empowerment, Bihar has carved out yet another niche for itself raising low-cost toilets for BPL/APL households for a paltry Rs 2,500 each.

The public health engineering department (PHED) has framed a model of low-cost toilets for BPL/APL families with bamboos.

After termite treatment, the bamboos form the super structure with doors and roof shed, PHED principal secretary H.C. Sirohi said.

According to official estimates, around 1.8 crore BPL/APL households go without toilets in rural Bihar as they are forced to attend the call of nature under the open sky.

Sources said the state government would make available Rs 2,200 to each of the BPL households under the total sanitation programme to set up a toilet in their house or hut by contributing Rs 300 each.

Similarly, APL families get Rs 2,000 as government assistance and have to contribute Rs 500 as individual share. Sources revealed that so far, only 21 lakh such low-cost toilets have been constructed in Bihar, a prime indicator of poor sanitation.

“We are training carpenters and masons from each district for the job and the PHED will extend technical support to the NGOs for setting up the toilets,” Sirohi added.