New Delhi, June 23: The government today claimed to be on track to make India free from open defecation by 2019 even as over 60 per cent people in rural India continue the practice despite more than 50 per cent households having toilets at home.

The government also announced that 10 iconic places, including Jagannath temple, Vaishno Devi shrine and Taj Mahal, would witness a special clean-up drive with support of public sector undertakings (PSUs).

Secretary of the Union ministry of drinking water and sanitation Parameswaran Iyer told a news conference that under the Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM), the coverage of household latrines had increased to 52 per cent in rural India compared 38 per cent in October 2014 when the programme was launched. Only 16 of the 650 districts are Open Defecation Free (ODF) today.

"About 550 million people in rural India are into open defecation... But we are on track to achieve ODF by 2019," Iyer said. Iyer quoted a National Sample Survey Organisation report to say that 90 per cent of the toilets built are being used by the households.

"There is need for behavioural change among people. We are trying to sensitise people on this," he said.

However, Safai Karmachari Andolan (SKA), an organization working for abolition of the practice of manual scavenging, said mere toilet construction would not achieve clean India.

"There must be sewage lines in rural areas with proper treatment facilities. They are only constructing toilets. Nobody bothers about disposal of the waste," said Bezwada Wilson of SKA.

However, Iyer said some states like Kerala and Punjab planned to start constructing sewage lines in rural areas.

He said 100 iconic places, which are often in the news for being unhygienic and filthy, would have clean-up programmes. To start with, 10 places would be taken up in the first phase, Iyer said.

"We are looking at the highest standard of cleanliness. We are not focusing on the premises alone but the outside areas as well," Iyer said.

The ministry will hold a workshop on July 8-9 with experts from World Bank, officials from the municipalities concerned and the state governments, he said.

Other places to be covered under the drive are Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus in Mumbai, Tirupati Temple, Golden Temple in Amritsar, Manikarnika Ghat in Varanasi, Ajmer Sharif Dargah in Rajasthan, Meenakshi Temple in Tamil Nadu and Kamakhya Temple in Assam. PSUs such as Nalco and Hindustan Zinc have agreed to support the work at Jagannath temple and Ajmer Sharif Dargah respectively.

Iyer said a coordination meeting has been held between the ministries of urban development, culture and tourism. These 10 states have been asked to provide their action plan for how to clean up these places.

Bindheswar Pathak, the founder of Sullabh International, an organisation setting up public toilets in cities, said these iconic places have already got toilets. But they lack proper water facilities and regular cleaning and maintenance. The environment ministry will carry out a special clean-up drive in 10 sanctuaries and national parks.