As per 2011 census, 53 % of households had a mobile phone, while only 47% had a toilet within their homes in that year. Five years later, the gap between the two seems to have widened. Today 88 % of households have a mobile phone, according to the ‘Household Survey on India’s Citizen Environment & Consumer Economy’ (ICE 360° survey) conducted in 2016.
The same proportion of households have access to electricity, but far fewer households have access to toilets or tap water. The data shows that 6% of households nationally (and 9% of rural India) defecate in the open despite having toilets. 63% reported having toilets without running water. Of households without toilets, 92% defecate in the open
The proportion of households with an electricity connection has moved up 20 % points to 87.6%. Over the same period, the proportion of households with tap water in their homes has increased by 26 % points to 52.6% in 2016 and the proportion of households with toilets has seen a 16 % point change.
Even access to LPG connections risen to 54.5% households, from 28.5 % in 2011. The survey suggests that much of the improvement in access to household amenities may have occurred between 2011 and 2014, rather than post 2014 period of Narendra Modi. For instance, 87.3% households reported access to electricity, 60.1% reported access to toilets and 36.5% reported access to tap water in the 2014 survey
Only 10% of households reported having access to Internet, the ICE 360° survey 2016 shows. Barely 1% of households in the bottom quintile have access to Internet but 21% in the top quintile do. The survey shows that around a quarter of households living in metros have access to Internet but only 3% in under-developed rural areas have such access.
