WORLD TOILET SUMMIT 2018

Why ? A large number of Indian populations lacks access to proper, well-functioning sanitation facilities. Rural India faces the biggest brunt with only 44% having access to good sanitation facilities as opposed to the 92% in urban India. A staggering 355 million women and girls wait for a toilet in India, and if they were all to stand in a queue, it would stretch around the Earth more than four times.

Health risks aside, open defecation subjects’ women and girls to embarrassment and compromise their dignity, putting them at risk of verbal and even physical abuse. To avoid the experience, they often avoid eating and drinking during the day, making it difficult for them to concentrate on their studies at school. It is estimated that almost 23% of adolescent girls in India drop out from schools due to lack of separate toilet facilities. Thus, there has always been a dire need for a revolution in thought process and an intervention in the social systems when it came to sanitation advocacy.

The Indian government, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, launched the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan (Clean India Mission) in October 2014to achieve full sanitation coverage by 2019 in commemoration of the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. There has been immense progress in improving access to sanitation across India in the following four years, with 52 million household toilets built between October 2014 and November 2017. India now ranks among the top 10 nations for reducing open defecation and improving access to basic sanitation. However, there is still a long way to go.

Vision & Mission of the 2018 Summit World Toilet Summit 2018 will lay special focus on the evolution and journey of Swachh Bharat Abhiyan and envisions itself as being a pioneer in motivating the successful completion of the mission by reaching 100% WASH coverage in households and schools in India.

Furthermore, the mission can only sustain when we also incorporate solutions for behaviour change, maintenance and sustenance of toilet usage and promoting innovations in WASH, along with solutions for faecal sludge management. Increase in toilets leads to a healthier and cleaner environment. Hence, we need to promote sustainable and viable solutions for the efficient management of toilets.

The two-day summit will commence on 19 November 2018 in , on the occasion of World Toilet Day. The summit is being officially supported by the government of Maharashtra, and will consist of keynote address, panel discussions, as well as awards in different categories from WASH sector.

Key Agenda The World Toilet Summit will close the gap between government, corporate and civil society by creating multi-sector partnerships to accelerate collaborations for progress in WASH. The summit will be linked to the Swachh Bharat, Swachh Vidyalaya, and Dettol Banega Swachh India. Through World Toilet Summit in India, we aim to achieve the following key objectives:

● Beyond the Swachh Bharat Mission: From toilet coverage to toilet usage ● Sustainability of the open defecation free status in Maharashtra: Toilet maintenance, behaviour change, design and funding innovation ● Reaching 100% WASH coverage in schools and 100% safely managed sanitation at the household level ● Alleviating WASH challenges: The role of design and innovation Theme for 2018 Each year, World Toilet Summit follows a specific theme and this year’s theme is “When Nature Calls”. Through this theme, the summit strives to advocate the fact that often the solutions to all WASH problems lie around us in nature itself, we just need to seek them out and establish compatibility with the environment. The idea will be further explored via nine sub-themes over the course of the two-day event.

Summit India 2018 Video “Mind Over Matter – Universal Access to sanitation”. A special session by Mr. Akshay Kumar, Actor and Activist Celebrity Speaker and Harpic Swachh Bharat Ambassador.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K7caCqPg_kc

Press Releases for Word Toilet Summit India 2018

S. No. Publication Headline &Web link

1. Merino Restrooms participates in World Toilet Summit 2018 ​ ​ Happily-married couple to fight elections against each other 2. Business Standard ​ ​ from Bikaner East

Happily-married couple to fight elections against each other 3. Sify.com ​ ​ from Bikaner East

Merino Restrooms Participates in World Toilet Summit 4. NewsVoir ​ ​ 2018

Merino Restrooms Participates in World Toilet Summit 5. India CSR ​ ​ 2018

Indian News & Merino Restrooms participates in World Toilet Summit 2018 6. ​ ​ Times

7. Web India 123 Merino Restrooms participates in World Toilet Summit 2018 ​ ​ Happily-married couple to fight elections against each other 8. New Kerala ​ ​ from Bikaner East

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S. No. Publication Headline

The Hindu 1. Innovating for sanitation ​ ​

2. Suited in style ​ ​

3. Prahaar Good response to World Toilet Summit ​ ​

4. Yashobhumi I joined film industry for money: Akshay Kumar ​ ​

5. Rashtriya Sahaara Akshay Kumar: I joined film industry for money ​ ​

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S. No. Publication Headline &Web link Hindu Business Innovation for Sanitation 1. ​ ​ Line

2. India hosts World Toilet meet in Mumbai ​ ​ Akshay Kumar did not join Bolywood for His Love for 3. News 18 ​ ​ Acting

4. Mid-Day Akshay Kumar at World Toilet Summit in Mumbai ​ ​

5. Financial Intellect RB participates in the 18th World Toilet Summit ​ ​ Chandigarh City RB participates in the 18th World Toilet Summit 6. ​ ​ News

7. India CSR RB participates in the 18th World Toilet Summit ​ ​ World Toilet Summit 2018: 1,000 Children Die From Water 8. Mumbai Live ​ ​ And Sanitation-Related Diseases Each Year

9. Franchise India India Hosts The 18th World Toilet Summit In Mumbai ​ ​ Mumbai: World Toilet Summit focuses on cleanliness 10. Yahoo! India ​ ​ campaign ‘Swachh Bharat Abhiyan’

Actor Akshay Kumar says he was drawn to the film industry 11. Times of AP because it offered a lot of money for someone who was ​ ​ struggling back then.

Bollywood Akshay Kumar talks about universal access to sanitation as 12. ​ ​ Hungama a brand ambassador of Harpic

13. Filmy Filmy I joined film industry for money: Akshay Kumar ​ ​

Below are the print clippings and web links who have focused specifically on Akshay Kumar’s session:

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S. No. Publication Headline

The Hans India- My producers felt I won't be able to act in films: Akshay 1. ​ ​ City Life Kumar

The New Indian My producers felt I won't be able to act in films: Akshay 2. Express – Kumar ​ ​ Bengaluru Express

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S. No. Publication Headline & Web link

My producers felt I won't be able to act in films: Akshay 1. Times Now News ​ ​ Kumar

No point making documentary films on social issues: 2. New Kerala ​ ​ Akshay Kumar

Here’s Why Akshay Kumar Feels That There’s No Point 3. Koimoi ​ ​ Making Documentary Films On Social Issues

My producers felt I won’t be able to act in films: Akshay 4. DMA Newsdeck ​ ​ Kumar

My producers felt I won’t be able to act in films: Akshay 5. Mangalorean ​ ​ Kumar

My producers felt I won’t be able to act in films: Akshay 6. ​ ​ Kumar

Investment Guru No point making documentary films on social issues: 7. ​ ​ India Akshay Kumar

My producers felt I won't be able to act in films: Akshay 8. Bollywood Country ​ ​ Kumar

No point making documentary films on social issues: 9. Bollywood Country ​ ​ Akshay Kumar

No point making documentary films on social issues: 10. IANS Live ​ ​ Akshay Kumar

The South Asian No point making documentary films on social issues: 11. ​ ​ TImes Akshay Kumar

The New Indian My producers felt I won't be able to act in films: Akshay 12. ​ ​ Express Kumar

The New Indian No point making documentary films on social issues: 13. ​ ​ Express Akshay Kumar

No point making documentaries on social issues, no one 14. Cinestaan ​ ​ reacts to them: Akshay Kumar

My producers felt I won't be able to act in films: Akshay 15. India Everyday ​ ​ Kumar

S. No. Publication Headline &Web link

1. ET Brand Equity RB participates in the 18th World Toilet Summit ​ ​ 2. Ad gully RB participates in the 18th World Toilet Summit ​ ​ United News of 3. World Toilet Summit concludes in Mumbai ​ ​ India

Swachh Bharat Abhiyan focus at World Toilet Summit in 4. Business Standard ​ ​ Mumbai

5. Business Standard I joined film industry for money: Akshay Kumar ​ ​

6. The Week MH-TOILET SUMMIT ​ ​ World Toilet Day: Invest in emotional triggers to get people 7. ​ ​ to use toilets, says Jack Sim

8. ‘For behavioural change, we need to make toilet a fashion’ ​ ​ Every panchayat has sanitation sustainability plans: 9. The Hindu ​ ​ Fadnavis

World Toilet Day: Challenges aplenty, but India on right 10. DNA ​ ​ track to be 100% ODF free, say experts

Akshay Kumar: Was drawn to the film industry because it 11. DNA ​ ​ offered a lot of money

12. I joined film industry for money: Akshay Kumar ​ ​ The New Indian 13. I joined film industry for money: Akshay Kumar ​ ​ Express

14. NDTV India India is hosting World Toilet Summit ​ ​

15. I joined film industry for money: Akshay Kumar ​ ​

16. Outlook India I joined film industry for money: Akshay Kumar ​ ​

17. Down To Earth India’s sanitation economy to double by 2021 ​ ​ Akshay Kumar reveals the real reason why he joined the 18. Times Now News ​ ​ film industry

19. Mid-Day Akshay Kumar: Spitting is a disgusting habit ​ ​

20. Netindia123 World Toilet Summit concludes in Mumbai ​ ​

21. Webindia123 World Toilet Summit concludes in Mumbai ​ ​ Swachh Bharat Mission celebrates World Toilet Day with 22. Devdiscourse ​ ​ nationwide activities

World Toilet Day: Can world be open defecation free by 23. Devdiscourse ​ ​ 2030?

24. Window to News RB participates in the 18th World Toilet Summit ​ ​

S. No. Publication Headline & Web link

My producers felt I won't be able to act in films: Akshay 1. Business Standard ​ ​ Kumar

No point making documentary films on social issues: 2. Business Standard ​ ​ Akshay Kumar

3. ​