New Delhi, April 7 (IANS): A BJP government will introduce ‘sanitation ratings’ where cities and towns will be ranked on the basis of their sanitation and cleanliness and the best performers rewarded, the party manifesto released here Monday said, while pledging to create an "open-defecation free India".

“We will introduce sanitation ratings measuring and ranking our cities and towns on 'sanitation'; and rewarding the best performers,” said the manifesto of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which opinion polls project as very likely to form the next government in India.

“Cleanliness and sanitation will be given priority - efficient waste and water management systems will be set up. Model towns will be identified for rolling out integrated waste management infrastructure,” it added.

The party said poor hygiene and sanitation have a “far reaching, cascading impact” and ensured a clean India by “Gandhi ji’s 150th birth anniversary in 2019.”

Promising to bring an end to open defecation with the help of an awareness campaign and enabling people to build toilets in their home as well as in schools and public places, the party said modern, scientific sewage and waste management systems would also be set up.

In addition, portable drinking water would be made available to all thus reducing water-borne diseases and a diarrhoea-free India.