Private sector can help India 'effectively' for Swachh Bharat

The private sector has a significant role to play in building sanitation infrastructure as well as creating awareness and bringing behavioural change among people, HDFC Chairman Deepak Parekh said.

Speaking on the Swachh Bharat Mission, he said the government has a five-year target from October 2014 to make India open defecation free.

"While it is a much-needed and mammoth task, we feel the private sector has a significant role to play, not just in building sanitation infrastructure, but also in creating awareness and behavioural change amongst people," he said.

"We have partnered with experienced sanitation organisations working in the water and sanitation sector who are deeply connected with the communities they work with," he said.

HDFC has supported community-based, sanitation and solid waste management programmes with experienced partners including Shelter Associates (Maharashtra), Gramalaya (Tamil Nadu) and Waste Warriors Society (Himachal Pradesh) and MHT (NCR).