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New data released by the NSSO (National Sample Survey Office) have underlined the abysmal state of sanitation in the country, particularly in rural India where two-thirds of the country lives. Only 32% of rural households have their own toilets, according to the recently released results of a large-scale survey conducted by NSSO in 2012. An additional 9% have access to toilets although the access figure could be an overestimate. The results of the last census had also highlighted India’s gaping sanitation deficit. Census results showed that less than half of Indian households had a toilet at home; there were more households with a mobile phone than with a toilet.The woefully inadequate progress in sanitation makes India an outlier even among developing countries. Of the estimated billion people who defecate in the open, more than half reside in India. Poor sanitation impairs the health of Indians, leading to high rates of malnutrition and productivity losses. India’s sanitation deficit leads to losses worth roughly 6% of India’s gross domestic product (GDP), according to World Bank estimates, by raising the disease burden in the country. Children are affected more than adults. The rampant spread of diseases inhibits children’s ability to absorb nutrients, stunting their growth.