Around 98% schools have separate toilet facilities for girl students: Centre to SC

The Centre has told the top court that states and Union territories, such as Delhi, Goa and Puducherry, have achieved 100 per cent targets

NEW DELHI: The Centre has informed the Supreme Court that more than 97.5 per cent schools in the country, including government, government-aided and private ones, have provided separate toilets facilities for girl students.

It has filed an affidavit in a pending PIL moved by Congress leader and social activist Jaya Thakur seeking directions to the Centre and states to provide free sanitary pads to girl students of Classes 6 to 12 and ensure separate female toilet facilities in all government, government-aided and residential schools.

The Centre has told the top court that states and Union territories, such as Delhi, Goa and Puducherry, have achieved 100 per cent targets and complied with the earlier orders of the court.

It has also informed the court that 16 lakh toilets for boys and 17.5 lakh toilets for girls have been constructed in more than 10 lakh government schools and 2.5 lakh toilets for boys and 2.9 lakh toilets for girls have been made available in government-aided schools.

The Centre has pointed out that in West Bengal, separate toilet facilities have been provided for girl students in 99.9 per cent schools and in Uttar Pradesh, 98.8 per cent schools have separate facilities for girls.