New Delhi, Aug 14 (IANS): To inculcate behavioural change in rural areas, Union Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat on Wednesday launched a survey to rank cities and districts on their performance on sanitation parameters.

The scale of the Swachh Survekshan Grameen 2019 survey will be three times bigger than the previous editions.

The exercise intends to stimulate stakeholders' behavioural change towards improved sanitation, the Minister said. This year, the survey will also include an added component -- assessment of environmental management -- of the cities and districts.

The survey will cover over 17,000 villages and 700 districts and will be conducted in 34 states and Union Territories. Last year, around 6,000 villages were covered.

Over 80,000 public places will be visited for the survey including schools, anganwadis, health centres, community toilets, markets and religious places.

A total of 250,000 people will be interviewed for feedback on cleanliness issues. People can also provide information online.

The survey will be conducted over 45 days and conclude on September 30.