Fact-check: Were Bio-Toilets in Railway Introduced Only After 2014 by the BJP?

Bio-toilets were first introduced by the Congress-led United Progress Alliance government in 2010.

Fact-Check | Bio-toilets were first introduced under the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government.

(Photo: Altered by The Quint)

A claim is being shared on social media platforms stating that bio-toilet systems in Indian railways were first implemented under the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government after it came to power in 2014.

An archive of the post can be seen here.

(Source: Facebook/Screenshot)

(An archive of a similar claim can be found here.)

What is the truth?: While the BJP-led NDA government has furthered the installation of bio-toilets after coming into power in 2014, it was first introduced by the Congress-led United Progress Alliance (UPA) government in 2010.

How did we find that out?: A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between the Indian Railways and Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) to develop a bio-toilet system suitable for railway coaches.

• It was signed on 9 March 2010.

• The collaboration resulted in the installation of anaerobic bio-toilets in the passenger coaches of the Indian Railways.

The screenshot of the MoU between the Indian Railways and DRDO.

(Source: Rolling Stock Knowledge Resource/Screenshot)

• According to the Indian Railway Institute of Mechanical & Electrical Engineering (IRIMEE), "the first rake with bio-toilets developed with DRDO has been running in Bundelkhand Express since 18 January 2011."

• A report published by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) in 2017 said that "the Indian Railways set up a Core group to decide suitable environment-friendly toilets for use" in November 2009.

A core committee was set up in 2009 to draw an action plan for environment friendly toilets.

(Source: CAG/Screenshot/Altered by The Quint)

2012-13 budget: The government had announced in that year's budget that around "2,500 coaches to be equipped with bio-toilets" under the green initiatives.

The 2012-13 budget said around 2,500 coaches will be equipped with bio-toilets.

(Source: Indian Railways/Screenshot)

More than 11,000 bio-toilets installed till 2014: According to a Lok Sabha answer given on 14 August 2014, around 11,777 bio-toilets were installed in 4,356 passenger coaches till 30 June 2014.

• All the details regarding the passenger coaches can be found here.

• We also found a tweet from Press Information Bureau (PIB) which gave a similar approximate figure.

Developments under the NDA government: According to a press release on PIB, "more than 2.5 lakh bio-digesters have been installed in Indian Railways coaches."

• A tweet posted by Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal posted in 2018 said that the Indian Railways had installed the highest-ever bio-toilets in train coaches during 2017-18.

• He mentioned that this was in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'Swacch Bharat Mission'.

• It included figures from 2013-14 (UPA government) and 2014-18 (NDA government).

Conclusion: The claim that bio-toilets were first introduced after 2014 is false. It was introduced by the UPA government in 2010.

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