19-Dec-2022: Swachhata Hi Sewa Campaign to Accelerate Momentum of Swachh Bharat Mission- Grameen Phase-II

Swachhata Hi Sewa (SHS) 2022 campaign was organised from 15th September, 2022 to 2nd October, 2022. The salient features of the campaign were: focus on cleaning of legacy waste, maximize participation of citizens in the sanitation activities, and accelerate the momentum of Swachh Bharat Mission-Grameen Phase-II. All the States/UTs were requested to organise State-wide SHS campaign on visual cleanliness of villages with focus to clean up the garbage/waste dumped around in the villages.

During the campaign, as reported by the States/UTs through online Integrated Management Information System (IMIS), 9.81 crore people participated in shramdaan on sanitation activities undertaken by the States/UTs. 1.59 lakh Gram Panchayats passed the resolution for banning the use of Single Use Plastic (SUP). 1.68 lakh Sarpanches participated in Sarpanch Samvads on Open Defecation Free (ODF) Plus components. 14.80 lakh legacy waste sites were cleaned.

SHS was organised as a part of the Information, Education and Communication (IEC) component under Swachh Bharat Mission-Grameen, for which upto 3% of the total funding for programmatic components can be utilised by the States/UTs. Hence, no separate funds were sanctioned/released to the States/UTs for SHS.

15-Dec-2022: Toilets under Swachh Bharat Abhiyan

Swachh Bharat Mission (Grameen) [SBM(G)] was launched by the Government on 2nd October, 2014 with the main aim to make the country Open Defecation Free (ODF) by 2nd October, 2019, by providing access to toilets to all the rural households. All the villages had declared themselves ODF by 2nd October, 2019. The States/UTs were, however, advised to cover any left out households under the programme and to ensure that no one is left behind.  Having achieved the ODF status, Phase-II of SBM(G) has been launched with effect from 1st April, 2020 with focus to sustain the ODF status and to cover all the villages with Solid and Liquid Waste Management (SLWM), i.e. to convert villages from ODF to ODF Plus, by 2024-25.

As per the findings of the Swachh Survekshan Grameen, 2022, conducted by the Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation through an independent agency, 95.4% households were found to have access to toilets.

Under SBM(G) Phase-II also, provision for providing financial incentive for construction of individual household latrines (IHHLs) for new or any left out households has been kept. As reported by the States/UTs on the online Integrated Management Information System (IMIS), since the launch of SBM(G) on 2nd October, 2014, 11.09 crore IHHLs have been constructed under the programme so far. 

19-Aug-2022: Another milestone achieved: Over one lakh ODF Plus villages

Swachh Bharat Mission Grameen (SBM-G), the flagship programme of the Government of India, today recorded another milestone – of 101462 villages declaring themselves as ODF (open defecation free) Plus. These villages are sustaining their ODF status and have systems in place for managing solid and/or liquid waste and they would continue on their sanitation journey as they work towards making their villages cleaner, greener and healthier.

Almost eight years ago, Hon’ble Prime Minister Modi launched the Swachh Bharat Mission from the ramparts of the Red Fort, with a vision to make the country open defecation free as a tribute to Mahatma Gandhi on his 150th birth anniversary.  Under his visionary leadership, the country came together in the world’s largest behaviour change campaign and achieved its aim, and on 2nd October 2019, 11 years ahead of the SDG-6 target set by the United Nations, rural India became open defecation free. However, this was not the end of the mission, it laid the foundation to take on a much more challenging, yet necessary task; the need to ensure Sampoorn swachhata or complete cleanliness, to make the country’s villages ODF Plus.

One lakh ODF Plus villages is no small achievement, given that the process of solid and liquid waste management is technical in nature, is relatively new to rural India and is a second-generation issue.  Provision of toilets has led to the need to manage faecal waste.  Also, with potable water supply, more greywater is being generated that needs to be treated and reused; and with lifestyle changes and the use of packaged food products, the menace of plastic waste is rearing its ugly head in rural areas and that needs to be managed effectively.

And this is what the second Phase of the Swachh Bharat Mission-Grameen (SBM-G) is about – to appropriately manage all types of waste that will not only make our villages clean, but also creating avenues for generating incomes for rural households and creating new livelihood opportunities, while fulfilling the requirements of the Sustainable Development Goals.  The SBM-G reinforces the Government’s commitment to promote hygiene and safe sanitation and thereby improve the quality of life of its citizens.

At the outset, DDWS had introduced intermediate stages in the process of declaring a village as ODF Plus, given that all villages may not fulfil all criteria under the verticals of biodegradable waste management (BWM), plastic waste management (PWM), greywater management (GWM) and faecal sludge management (FSM) before declaring a village as ODF Plus.   In the ODF Plus - Aspiring category today are 54734 villages in which all households and institutions besides having access to sanitation through individual household latrines, have arrangements for either SWM or LWM; those in ODF Plus – Rising are 17121 villages which have arrangements for both LWM and SWM in addition to the criteria in Aspiring.  Those that are declared ODF Plus - Model are 29607 villages which have all the above and where IEC messages are prominently disseminated and displayed.

This also translates into 99640 villages across the country having arrangements for solid waste management; 78937 having liquid waste management facilities; and almost 57312 villages having both functional solid and liquid waste management plants.  The top five performing states are Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh where maximum number of villages have been declared as ODF Plus. 

Given that the process of solid and liquid waste management is technical and relatively new to rural India, all possible assistance is being given to States in the form of funding, technical and capacity building support.  As in Phase I of SBM (G), community participation is integral to the success of the campaign as it paves the way for self-development and contribution and that remains the hallmark of the campaign. 

The campaign reinforces the Government’s commitment to promote hygiene and safe sanitation and thereby improve the quality of life of its citizens and fulfil our dream of a Sampoorn, Swachh and Swasth Bharat by 2024-25.

8-Aug-2022: Achievement of ODF mission

Swachh Bharat Mission (Grameen) [SBM(G)] was launched on 2nd October, 2014 with the goal to make the rural areas of the country Open Defecation Free (ODF) by 2nd October, 2019, the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, by providing access to toilets to all the rural households.  More than 10 crore Individual Household Latrines (IHHLs) were constructed under the programme and, as a result, all the villages and States/UT had declared themselves ODF by 2nd October, 2019.

A total amount of Rs.68,461.50 crore was released to the States/UTs under Swachh Bharat Mission (Grameen) from 2014-15 to 2019-20.

Government had approved Namami Gange Programme in 2014 with the objectives of effective abatement of pollution, conservation and rejuvenation of Ganga river.  One of the initiatives under this programme was to make the villages on the bank of river Ganga ODF on priority.  All the 4507 villages on the bank of Ganga were declared ODF much before 2nd October, 2019.

1-Aug-2022: Purification of Rural Sewage Water

Sewerage system does not exist in rural areas of the country.  Under Swachh Bharat Mission (Grameen), for disposal of human excreta, use of safe and eco-friendly onsite sanitation technologies such as twin leach pit toilets is encouraged for most parts of the country.  Under this technology, human faeces automatically become manure in 1-2 years.  In case of septic tank and single leach pit toilets, it is advised to retrofit them by converting the single pits to twin pits and connecting septic tank with soak pits.  For treatment of faecal sludge from the septic tanks and single pit toilets, SBM (G) guideline provide for mechanical emptying of the pits and transportation of faecal sludge to nearby Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) / Faecal Sludge Treatment Plant (FSTP) in urban/rural area.  Funding provision at the rate of Rs.230 per capita is available under SBM (G) for setting up of FSTP in rural areas.

1-Aug-2022: Construction of Toilets under SBM

Swachh Bharat Mission (Grameen) was launched on 2nd October, 2014 with the goal to make the rural areas of the country Open Defecation Free (ODF) by 2nd October, 2019, the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, by providing access to toilets to all the rural households.  As it is a demand driven scheme, specific year-wise targets of construction of Individual Household Latrines (IHHLs) could not be set. More than 10 crore Individual Household Latrines (IHHLs) were constructed under the programme and, as a result, all the villages had declared themselves ODF by 2nd October, 2019.  The States/UTs were however advised to ensure that any left out household was also covered under the programme to construct IHHL by entering details of such households in the online Integrated Management Information System (IMIS) of SBM (G). 

Having achieved the outcome of the ODF, Government has now been implementing Phase II of SBM (G) during the period from 2020-21 to 2024-25 with the focus to sustain the ODF status and to cover all the villages with solid and liquid waste management by 2024-25, i.e. to convert the villages from ODF to ODF Plus.  In order to ensure that no one is left behind in having access to toilets, provision for incentive support for construction of IHHLs for new emerging households has been continued under SBM (G) Phase-II.

Year-wise details of IHHLs constructed from 2016-17 to 2021-22 under SBM (G), as reported by the States/UTs on the IMIS, are given below:

12-Jul-2022: Ministry of Jal Shakti to strengthen capacities of States for SBM-Gramin II

To finalise the capacity building strategy and training calendar of each State and Union Territory as a part of their efforts to make their villages ODF Plus, the Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation, Ministry of Jal Shakti with the support of UNICEF organised a national workshop on capacity building in New Delhi today. Capacity building of stakeholders is key to achieving ODF Plus status and in the third year of implementation of Phase II of Swachh Bharat Mission Grameen (SBM-G), States and Union Territories have targets to ensure that all their villages become ODF Plus.  More than 150 officials who are working in the sanitation section across the country participated in the programme.

Speaking at the inaugural session, Secretary-DDWS, Smt. Vini Mahajan said, “I believe we have a unique and historic opportunity to make a difference in people’s lives. The work done over the years has given us the momentum and today with strong political will at the highest level, both in the Government of India and the States, and equipped with the technical knowledge of what needs to be done for rural sanitation, we know what is to be done, how to do it. Therefore, we can actually transform our countryside.” However, we cannot do this with a government order, the Secretary added, saying that if we want to deliver rural sanitation which is a human right, and a must for human health and the dignity of people, it has to be done with the engagement, continued involvement and strong participation of local communities.

Emphasising that there are adequate funds, she said panchayat leaders at the local level should recognise the need, importance, the possibilities, and understand what option works best in their areas.  Until we are willing to take on the responsibility of ensuring that the requisite actions are taken, infrastructure is developed and maintained and systems are in place, we might lose this historic opportunity, said Smt. Mahajan.

The Secretary called for the building of capacities at all levels, “The task is highly complex because we are talking about 6 lakh villages under various geographic conditions.  We need strong teams that have committed people who are willing to give this issue their attention, energy, and their intellectual abilities and this must go down to the district and block level. Also, every panchayat must be brought into the loop and master trainers need to be developed at all levels and give training to the next level”.

In his opening remarks, Mr. Nicolas Osbert, WASH Chief, UNICEF outlined what is at stake for India as it fulfils its commitment to the SDG 6.2 on safely managed sanitation which is toilet usage while ensuring safe containment of human faeces through faecal sludge management and through operation and maintenance of twin pit toilets. He said that UNICEF was associated with the Mission because it contributes to the health and dignity of women and children, while preventing water borne diseases.  It also provides a great opportunity to strengthen building on the gains of Phase I, he added.

On UNICEF’s support for capacity building, he said they have developed well defined training modules to empower GPs – a 5-day training module for master trainers and to date about 1232 master trainers have been developed in 12 states and engaged in ODF Plus training.   UNICEF remains fully committed and accountable to help achieve the target to build capacities of sanitation workers, empower them, and raise awareness among communities.

Speaking on the occasion, Special Secretary, DDWS, Mr. Arun Baroka emphasised that solid and liquid waste management was technical in nature and given the large number of villages and lack of capacities at local level, there was a requirement for decentralised planning, implementation and operation and maintenance; in addition to sustaining behaviour change and ODF status. To address this, DDWS intends to strengthen capacity at every level in a time bound manner, equip village level functionaries with adequate information and knowledge; and sustain ODF while moving towards ODF plus.  The Special Secretary also talked about the current human resources availability, the capacity building dashboard, theme wise training conducted thus far, as also the way forward.

The inaugural session was followed by presentations. States presented their action plan for capacity building during the year. This was followed by discussions on challenges and way forward and an analysis of the capacity building plans received and best practices.

During the workshop, States/UTs shared information on: Strategy for orientation of state/district level officers and number of master trainers (MTs) to be trained at state and district level along with a timeline; Strategy for engagement of MTs and their sustainability; roll out plan with cascading approach to cover all GPs/villages including a monitoring mechanism; timeline to complete all the trainings at district/block/GP/village and preparation of village sanitation plan; and appointment of resource persons to undertake capacity building initiatives at state, district and block level.

DDWS intends to provide support for the training programmes through partner training agencies.  The first round of training needs to be complemented in the current financial year so that one trained resource person can be made available in all the villages; who will help prepare the Village Sanitation Plan (VSP) of the villages/GPs in the current year and monitor implementation of the same.

In July 2021, DDWS launched manuals that pertain to the key components of ODF Plus (Grey Water Management, Plastic Waste Management, Faecal Sludge Management, Biodegradable Waste Management and IEC).  They provide detailed information on technologies, technical specifications of assets, estimated costs and possible O&M arrangements to support states, districts, and rural local bodies to implement solid and liquid waste management initiatives.

31-Mar-2022: Swachh Bharat Mission

Swachh Bharat Mission (Grameen) [SBM (G)] was launched by the Government with effect from 2nd October, 2014, with the main aim to make the country Open Defecation Free (ODF) by 2nd October, 2019, by providing access to toilet facilities to all the rural households. Having achieved the outcomes of the ODF, Phase-II of SBM (G) is now being implemented with the focus on ODF sustainability and to make arrangements for Solid and Liquid Waste Management (SLWM) in all villages i.e. to transform the villages from ODF to ODF Plus, by 2024-25.  The main features of SBM (G) Phase-II are:

1. SBM(G) Phase-II is designed as novel model of convergence among different verticals of financing and various programmes of Centre and State Governments
2. Flexibility to States in designing delivery mechanisms taking into account their local culture, practices, sensibilities and demands
3. Emphasis on capacity building of the implementing agencies to strengthen delivery of services at ground level
4. Emphasis on decentralized approach for effective Operation and Maintenance of assets constructed under SBM(G)
5. Encouraging States to promote business models to make the assets self-sustainable

As reported by the States/UTs on the online Integrated Management Information System (IMIS) of SBM(G), about 11 crore individual household latrines (IHHLs) and 1.97 lakh Community Sanitary Complexes (CSCs) have been constructed under the programme since 2014-15.  All the villages in the country have declared themselves ODF.  58,201 villages have been covered with Solid Waste Management and 33,962 villages have been covered with Liquid Waste Management.

To facilitate the States for effective and smooth implementation of the programme, Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation has issued Operational Guidelines on Phase-II of SBM(G). Manuals and tool kits on different verticals of ODF plus viz. Bio-degradable Waste Management, Plastic Waste Management, Greywater Management, Faecal Sludge Management, and Information, Education and Communication (IEC) have also been prepared and released. Review meetings with the States are regularly held at higher levels in which States are pursued to improve the progress of implementation of the programme.

28-Jul-2021: ODF Plus Manuals under Swachh Bharat Mission (Grameen) Phase II Released

Union Minister for Jal Shakti, Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and the Minister of State for Jal Shakti& Food Processing Industries, Shri Prahlad Singh Patel released the ODF Plus Manuals under Swachh Bharat Mission (Grameen) Phase -II at an event here today organized by Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation (DDWS). The launched manuals pertain to key components of ODF Plus (Grey Water Management, Plastic Waste Management, Faecal Sludge Management, Biodegradable Waste Management and IEC) and provides detailed information on technologies, technical specifications of assets, estimated costs and possible O & M arrangements. DDWS has developed manuals to support states, districts, and rural local bodies implement solid and liquid waste management initiatives.

Addressing the media after the release of Manuals, Union Minister for Jal Shakti, Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat said that SBMG has transformed rural India by manifesting into a Jan Andolan for sanitation under the guidance and leadership of Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi achieving Open Defecation Free (ODF) rural India milestone in mission mode (2014-19). Taking forward the extraordinary success, Phase -II of the SBM (G) aiming at achieving ODF Plus goal was launched early last year, which focuses on ODF sustainability and Solid and Liquid Waste Management (SLWM) aiming at comprehensive cleanliness in villages.

The Union Minister stressed on the importance of access to safe sanitation facilities in terms of social, economic and health benefits to rural community members especially the vulnerable and marginalized community. The manuals launched today will contribute significantly towards capacity building and knowledge enrichment at various levels strengthening SBMG Phase II initiatives.

Shri Shekhawat also added that for FY 2021-22 as part of approved Annual Implementation Plan (AIP); SBM (G) Phase -II is poised to support over two lakh villages achieve solid and liquid waste management (SLWM) arrangements through an investment of over Rs. 40,700 crores. While the Central share would be around Rs. 14,000 crores, the States shall spend over Rs.8300 crores. Funds to the tune of Rs. 12,730 crores will be made available through the Fifteenth Finance Commission and over Rs.4,100 through convergence with MGNREGS. Programme Implementation this fiscal year will see construction of over 50 lakh Individual Household toilets (IHHLs), one Lakh Community toilets, Plastic Waste Management Units in over 2400 Blocks of India, Grey Water Management in around 1.82 lakh villages, Gobardhan projects in 386 Districts, and Faecal sludge management arrangements in over 250 Districts.

Addressing the media, Minister of State, Shri Prahlad Singh Patel said under the inspiring leadership of Prime Minister and his strong will power, India achieved the massive challenge of ODF declaration of all villages in mission mode in five years (2014-19). As Swachhata is an eternal journey, the Phase II of SBM (G) aims at achieving the goal of complete cleanliness or Sampoorna Swachhata by addressing ODF SLWM issues. This can be achieved by ensuring collective responsibility and commitment. The manuals released today will equip all with relevant and necessary technical information, technologies, and references.   

The success of SBM (G) – the largest ever behavior change programme in the world, can also be attributed to the extensive focus on capacity building of a range of key stakeholders. An important aspect of SBMG Phase -II is continuous engagement and capacity strengthening of all stakeholders at various levels to ensure effective and expedited implementation. The availability of reference materials pertaining to program’s approach, technical specifications, cost estimates, technical drawings etc. for various elements of ODF Plus is important.  

The Biodegradable Waste Management (BWM) manual focuses on important processes and activities related to segregation, Collection and Transportation, Treatment and disposal of biodegradable solid waste (both dry and waste). It also highlights various technology options available like Composting techniques at various levels (Households and Community).

The Greywater management (GWM) manual addressed the 3Rs (Reduce, Reuse and Recycle) which focuses on minimizing the generation of greywater (from kitchen, washrooms, livestock cleaning and others) and effective treatment using various technologies like Community leach pit, Waste Stabilization pond, constructed wetlands, Phytroid, Decentralized Wastewater Treatment system, Soil Bio Technology and others.

The Plastic Waste Management (PWM) manual provides details on necessary steps to establish a system of segregation, collection and storage and setting up of Plastic Waste Management Unit at various levels for further processing into useful products and forward linkage in other sectors. The manual will help in building capacity of functionaries at district, block and rural local bodies for minimizing plastic consumption and addressing single use plastic (SUP) waste in particular.

The Faecal Sludge Management (FSM) manual provides technical information on the selected technology based on the FSM implementation approach as outlined in the SBM (G) Phase-II guidelines. It also provides design and engineering for the technologies specified in the guidelines. This manual will help district officials in the preparation of Detailed Project Reports (DPRs), construction of Faecal Sludge Treatment Plants (FSTPs) and their Operation and Maintenance.

The Information, Education and Communication (IEC) manual will serve as a reference guide to all programme managers, implementers and communicators around each ODF Plus components. Aiming at behavior change of the community, the manual will be useful in facilitating the development of quality communication and capacity development tools which integrate the key elements of community-led/IEC approaches.

SBM (G) Phase-II has been uniquely designed to leverage the capacity of individuals and communities in rural India to create a people’s movement to ensure that the ODF status of rural areas is sustained, people continue to practice safe hygienic behaviour and that all villages have solid and liquid waste management arrangements. The Government of India, in February 2020, approved Phase-II of the SBM (G) with a total outlay of Rs. 1,40,881 crores to focus on the sustainability of Open Defecation Free (ODF) status and Solid and Liquid Waste Management (SLWM). SBM (G) Phase-II is planned to be a unique model of convergence between different verticals of financing and various schemes of Central and State Governments.

8-Jun-2021: Rs 40,700 crores allocated under Swachh Bharat Mission (Grameen) towards SLWM support for over 2 Lakh Villages in 2021-22

The Ministry of Jal Shakti under Swachh Bharat Mission Grameen (SBM-G) Phase 2 is poised to support over two lakh villages achieve solid and liquid waste management (SLWM) arrangements through an investment of over Rs. 40,700 crores in the present FY 2021-22. The National Scheme Sanctioning Committee (NSSC) of SBM-G under the Chairmanship of Secretary, Ministry of Jal Shakti approved the Annual Implementation Plan (AIP) of States and UTs.

While the Central share would be around Rs.14,000 crores, the States shall spend over Rs.8300 crores. Funds to the tune of Rs. 12,730 crores will be made available through the Fifteenth Finance Commission and over Rs.4,100 through convergence with MGNREGS.  Further, over Rs.1500 crore will be invested by the States through other sources e.g. Business Model, CSR, other schemes, etc.  SBM(G) Phase 2 aims at achieving comprehensive cleanliness in villages also called ODF Plus status by focusing on ODF sustainability and ensuring SLWM arrangements in villages.

Implementation of Swachh Bharat Mission Grameen Phase 2 in 2021-2022 will see construction of over 50 lakh Individual Household toilets (IHHLs), one Lakh Community toilets, Plastic Waste Management Units in over 2400 Blocks of India, Gobardhan projects in 386 Districts, Faecal sludge management arrangements in over 250 Districts apart from the targeted support for over 2 lakh villages in implementation of SLWM interventions.

Approving the State Plans, Secretary, Ministry of Jal Shakti, highlighted the need to ensure that no one is left behind, and every household has access to a toilet. He emphasized on the adoption of twin pit toilet technology for IHHLs construction as it is relatively safer, low cost and easier to operate and maintain. He also stressed on the need for low cost technologies for solid and liquid waste management as it would help decentralized operation and maintenance.

Earlier Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation (DDWS) supported States and UTs to undertake a participatory planning exercise along with Districts and Rural Local Bodies to step up implementation of ODF plus elements and achieve results at scale. Each State/UT have developed their Annual Implementation plans that set out the implementation targets and strategy that would be adopted in the State/UT. Implementation of Swachh Bharat Mission is led by Rural Local Bodies and the mission has the reputation of being a unique Jan Andolan on Swachhata in the country.

The National Scheme Sanction Committee comprises representatives of Ministry of Rural Development, Panchayati Raj, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, representative from State Governments apart sector experts. The NSSC reviewed the plans of all States and UTs and provided them guidance to intensify implementation as sanitation and hygiene are of paramount importance in the pandemic times. NSSC emphasized on the effective utilization of Fifteenth Finance tied funds earmarked for sanitation.

7-Jun-2021: Swachh Bharat Mission Grameen - Phase 2, makes steady progress amidst COVID-19 Pandemic with 1249 villages declared ODF Plus

The Minister of State for Jal Shakti, Shri Rattan Lal Kataria today reviewed the progress of the Swachh Bharat Mission – Grameen (SBM-G)under the Department of Drinking water and Sanitation. The Mission has been making steady progress amidst the grave challenges posed by the ongoing COVID-19 Pandemic.  The department, working against time and amidst the strict regulations that were imposed owing to the pandemic, promptly released the scheme guidelines in May 2020 and compiled manuals, brochures, advisories to support capacity and implementation at State level.

The phase -2 of SBM was announced by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi in February, 2020 i.e. just preceding the first COVID wave in India. The phase -1 concluded in October 2019 with grand declaration of the Nation as Open Defecation Free. The Phase -2 emphasizes upon the sustainability of achievements under phase -1 and to provide adequate facilities for Solid/Liquid & plastic waste management in rural India.

Despite facing several bottlenecks, the officials have been able to motivate and encourage States to prepare and submit annual implementation plans worth Rs 40,705 Crores. The same have been approved by the NSSC- National Scheme Sanctioning Committee. It is encouraging to note that within a short span of time, 1.1 Lakh villages have reported Solid and liquid waste management (SWM/LWM) works. Around 2.41 lac villages have reported Minimal litter and stagnant waste water. 1249 villages have declared themselves as ODF plus, 53,066 community compost pits & 10.4 lacs household level SLWM assets have been constructed. Villages have also reported drainage works close to 1.60 lacs.

The MoS complemented the officials for relentlessly working closely with the state governments towards achieving targets under SBM-G, despite COVID-19 pandemic largely drawing the administrative resources towards it. Shri Kataria emphasized on the need to continuously assess the Swachhata scenario at ground level and to address emerging challenges through coordinated planning and synergized actions along with State Governments and the third tier of Government - the Gram Panchayats. Shri Kataria added that the pandemic has largely sensitized the people of this country towards personal health and hygiene. This awareness must be built upon to further the goals under Swachh Bharat Mission.

The targets for the year 2021-22 include construction of 51,05,534 IHHLs, SWM projects in 2,07,945 villages, grey water management in 1,82,517 villages, Plastic waste Management units in 2,458 blocks and 386 GOBAR-Dhan projects. The Gobardhan yojana was started in year 2018 to effectively implement the vision of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi to provide an economically viable and environmentally friendly solution for disposal of cow dung and organic farm waste at village level. Swachh Bharat Mission Grameen has become a nodal monitoring agency for this project which seeks synergy amongst Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas, Ministry of Agriculture and Ministry of Animal Husbandry, Diary and Fisheries. So far, 85 such sites have been identified for installation of biogas plant and 34 plants have been completed. The state of Chhattisgarh has taken a lead in planning such projects and soon many success stories shall be available for emulation by gram Panchayats all over India.

Shri Kataria hailed the landmark allocation, to the tune of 1.42 lac Crores over 2021-25, made by the 15th Finance commission towards Water and Sanitation sectors and termed it as a game changer for Gram Panchayats. He said that it will catapult the efforts in achieving the ODF plus status and to upgrade overall waste management ecosystem. The Department is soon going to release a MIS system to monitor all SWM related works and associated technical support material and guidelines.

4-Mar-2020: Swachh Bharat Mission (Grameen) Phase-II

The Union Minister for Jal Shakti, Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat launched Phase II of Swachh Bharat Mission (Grameen) [SBM (G)] at a National Dissemination and Consultation workshop here today. He was joined by the Union Minister of State for Jal Shakti and Social Justice & Empowerment, Shri Rattan Lal Kataria, Secretary, Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation (DDWS), Shri Parameswaran Iyer, Principal Secretaries/Secretaries-in-charge of Rural Sanitation, Mission Directors (SBMG) of States/UTs, senior officials from the Ministry (GoI), and other invited state nodal officers engaged with SBM(G).

Inaugurating the workshop, Shri Shekhawat lauded the enormous success of Phase-I of the SBM (G) and said that the cabinet approval of Phase II of the Mission is great recognition to the signification achievements made under SBM (G) under the visionary leadership of the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi towards providing universal coverage and access to safe sanitation in rural areas in five years since its launch on 2nd Oct, 2014.

Phase – II of the SBM(G) will focus on sustaining the gains made under the programme in last five years in terms of toilet access and usage, ensuring that no one is left behind. It will ensure that effective solid and liquid waste management (SLWM) is instituted in every Gram Panchayat of the country.

Speaking on the occasion, Shri Kataria congratulated SBM (G) team of Central and State Government officials and lakhs of Swachhagrahis for their tireless efforts in last five years in triggering a massive behaviour change across the country among rural community members and making Swachh Bharat Mission a true Jan Andolan.         

Secretary, DDWS, Shri Parameswaran Iyer, elaborating on the mandate of SBM (G) Phase II, informed that it will be implemented from 2020-21 to 2024-25 in a mission mode with a total outlay of Rs. 1,40,881 crores. This will be a novel model of convergence between different verticals of financing. Of this Rs. 52,497 crore will be allocated from the budget of Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation, while the remaining amount will be dovetailed from the funds being released under 15th Finance Commission, MGNREGS and revenue generation models particularly for solid and liquid waste management.

The Solid and Liquid Waste Management (SLWM) component of Open Defecation Free (ODF) Plus, ODF Plus, will be monitored on the basis of output-outcome indicators for four key areas: plastic waste management, bio-degradable solid waste management (including animal waste management), greywater management and fecal sludge management. The SBM-G Phase II will continue to generate employment and provide impetus to the rural economy through construction of household toilets and community toilets, as well as infrastructure for SLWM such as compost pits, soak pits, waste stabilisation ponds, material recovery facilities etc.

As part of the workshop and in the run up to International Women’s Day on 8th March, the Union Minister released a study done by the UNICEF and Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) on the impact of the SBM(G) on rural women. The study - Impact of the Swachh Bharat Mission (Grameen) on the convenience, safety and self-respect of women in rural India – surveyed 6,993 women across the 5 states of Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh, in February, 2020, and indicated that the increased access to household toilets has led to the improvement in the Suvidha, Suraksha and Swabhimaan of women in rural India.

Key findings:

• 93% women feel safer from assault by not going out in the open to defecate
• 91% women save up to one hour of their day, earlier spent on walking to defecation sites
• 88% of women are proud to own a toilet

Earlier, Union Cabinet on 19th February, 2020 approved the SBM Phase II which will help rural India in effectively handling the challenge of solid and liquid waste management and will help in substantial improvement in the health of the villagers in the country. Since the launch of the SBM-G in 2014, over 10 crore toilets have been built in rural areas; over 5.9 lakh villages, 699 districts, and 35 States/UTs have declared themselves Open Defecation Free (ODF). 

19-Feb-2020: Cabinet approves Swachh Bharat Mission (Grameen) Phase-II

The Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has approved the Phase II of the Swachh Bharat Mission (Grameen) [SBM (G)] till 2024-25, which will focus on Open Defecation Free Plus (ODF Plus), which includes ODF sustainability and Solid and Liquid Waste Management (SLWM). The program will also work towards ensuring that no one is left behind and everyone uses a toilet.

SBM (G) Phase-II will also be implemented from 2020-21 to 2024-25   in a mission mode with a total outlay of Rs. 1,40,881 crores. This will be a novel model of convergence between different verticals of financing. Of this Rs.52,497 crore will be allocated from the budget of D/o Drinking Water and Sanitation while the remaining amount will be dovetailed from the funds being released under 15th Finance Commission, MGNREGS and revenue generation models particularly for solid and liquid waste management.

Under the program, provision for incentive of Rs.12,000/- for construction of Individual Household Toilet (IHHL) to the newly emerging eligible households as per the existing norms will continue. Funding norms for Solid and Liquid Waste Management (SLWM) have been rationalized and changed to per capita basis in place of no. of households. Additionally, financial assistance to the Gram Panchayats (GPs) for construction of Community Managed Sanitary Complex (CMSC) at village level has been increased from Rs.2 lakh to Rs.3 lakh per CMSC.

The programme will be implemented by the States/UTs as per the operational guidelines which will be issued to the States shortly. The fund sharing pattern between Centre and States will be 90:10 for North-Eastern States and Himalayan States and UT of J&K; 60:40 for other States; and 100:0 for other Union Territories, for all the components.

The SLWM component of ODF Plus will be monitored on the basis of output-outcome indicators for four key areas: plastic waste management, bio-degradable solid waste management (including animal waste management), greywater management and fecal sludge management.

The SBM-G Phase II will continue to generate employment and provide impetus to the rural economy through construction of household toilets and community toilets, as well as infrastructure for SLWM such as compost pits, soak pits, waste stabilisation ponds, material recovery facilities etc.

The rural sanitation coverage in the country at the time of launch of SBM (G) on 02.10.2014 was reported as 38.7%.  More than 10 crore individual toilets have been constructed since the launch of the mission; as a result, rural areas in all the States have declared themselves ODF as on 2nd October, 2019.  The Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation (DDWS) has, however, advised all the States to reconfirm that there are no rural households that still don’t have access to a toilet, and provide the necessary support to any such identified households to build individual household toilets in order to ensure that no one is left behind under the programme.

The approval by the Cabinet to SBM Phase II will help the rural India effectively handle the challenge of solid and liquid waste management and will help in substantial improvement in the health of the villagers in the country.

5-Mar-2019: Independent Verification of Swachh Bharat Grameen confirms over 96% usage of toilets

The National Annual Rural Sanitation Survey (NARSS) 2018-19, conducted by an Independent Verification Agency (IVA) under the World Bank support project to the Swachh Bharat Mission Grameen (SBM-G), has found that 96.5% of the households in rural India who have access to a toilet use it. The NARSS also re-confirmed the Open Defecation Free (ODF) status of 90.7% of villages which were previously declared and verified as ODF by various districts/States. The survey was conducted between November 2018 and February 2019 and covered 92040 households in 6136 villages across States and UTs of India.

The key findings of NARSS 2018-19 are as follows:

• 93.1% of households were found to have access to toilets during the survey period (the corresponding figure as per the SBMG MIS in November 2018 was 96%).
• 96.5% of the people who had access to toilets used them.
• 90.7% of villages which were previously declared and verified as ODF were confirmed to be ODF. The remaining villages also had sanitation coverage of about 93%.
• 95.4% of the villages surveyed found to have minimal litter and minimal stagnant water.

The IVA presented their findings to the Expert Working Group (EWG) constituted for oversight of NARSS, comprising representatives from organizations including the World Bank, UNICEF, Water Aid, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, India Sanitation Coalition, NITI Aayog, and Ministry of Statistics and Program Implementation. The EWG noted the satisfactory completion of the survey round 2 (for 2018-19, after last year’s NARSS 2017-18). Following this, the IVA submitted their provisional summary results report and raw data to the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation, and the same have been uploaded and made publicly accessible on the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation website (mdws.nic.in).

The survey used the PPS (Probability Proportion to Size) sampling methodology, which yields results within a confidence interval of 95%. Data was collected using the Computer Assisted Personal Interviewing (CAPI) platform. The survey also covered schools, anganwadis and public/community toilets in these villages.

Since its launch in October 2014, the SBM, the world’s largest sanitation program, has changed the behaviour of hundreds of millions of people with respect to toilet access and usage. 500 million people have stopped defecating in the open since the SBM began, down from 550 million at the beginning of the programme to less than 50 million today. Over 9 crore toilets have been built across rural India under the Mission. Over 5.5 lakh villages and 615 districts have been declared ODF, along with 30 ODF States and Union Territories.

3-Aug-2018: WHO lauds India’s commitment to accelerated sanitation coverage

WHO lauds India’s commitment to accelerated coverage of safe sanitation services which, assuming 100% coverage is achieved by October 2019, could avert up to 300 000 deaths due to diarrheal disease and protein-energy malnutrition (PEM) since the country launched the Swachh Bharat Mission in 2014.

As the initial results of a WHO modelling study on the health impact of the Swachh Bharat Mission Gramin (SBM-G) outline, India’s accelerated coverage of safe sanitation services, and its determination to end open defecation, will have a substantial effect on the burden of diarrheal disease and PEM by reducing mortality and accumulative Disability Adjusted Life Years (DALYs) – the sum of the years of life lost due to premature mortality and years lost due to disability or ill-health.

According to calculations, if all sanitation services are used, the initiative could result in over 14 million more years of healthy life in the period measured, with the benefits accruing yearly thereafter. That is especially remarkable given that before 2014 unsafe sanitation caused an estimated 199 million cases of diarrhea annually, with modelling showing the problem will almost be eliminated when universal use of safe sanitation facilities is achieved.

India’s commitment and progress towards these outcomes is reflected in the fact that household sanitation coverage has dramatically increased from an estimated 2% per year before the initiative to more than 13% annually between 2016 and 2018. The recent allocation of up to INR 15 000 crore as Extra Budgetary Resources for the SBM-G during the present financial year holds-out the potential for further gains, not only for India, but also the WHO South-East Asia Region and the world (globally, diarrheal disease is the second leading cause of under-five mortality, while lack of clean water and sanitation is also a major contributor to malnutrition).

Notably, the broader health impact of India’s commitment to accelerated sanitation coverage (which the present study does not consider) are likely to be significant. This includes improved overall nutritional status and reduced incidence of infectious diseases such as neglected tropical diseases and acute respiratory infections, as well as vector-borne diseases. Moreover, the estimations apply to the health impacts from improvements in sanitation coverage only, meaning it is possible that the broader Mission has produced additional health gains through changes in personal hygiene and the consumption of safe drinking water.

WHO has worked closely with the Government of India (GoI) to scale up access to sanitation services, including by providing technical assistance via India’s 2017 participation in the Global Analysis and Assessment of Sanitation and Drinking-Water Survey (a tool to provide policymakers actionable data to help inform sound policy), as well as working with partners to support the GoI implement WHO’s guidelines for safe water and sanitation planning. WHO has also supported the piloting of TrackFin (Tracking financing to sanitation, hygiene and drinking-water) in Rajasthan and West Bengal to utilize resources more efficiently to reach those under threat of being left behind.

That is especially important as India pursues WHO South-East Asia’s Flagship Priorities and strives to fulfill the Sustainable Development Goals, including Sustainable Development Goal 6, which obliges countries to ensure access to safe water and sanitation for all, and Sustainable Development Goal 3, which obliges them to ensure healthy lives and promote wellbeing for all at all ages. WHO commends India’s continued commitment and high-level resolve to these ends, and to achieving 100% safe sanitation coverage country-wide.

1-Jan-2018: Arunachal declared open defecation-free State

Arunachal Pradesh emerged as the second State in the Northeast, after Sikkim, to be declared Open Defecation Free. The state has 21 districts and has achieved the feat much before the national deadline of October 2, 2019.

To accelerate the efforts to achieve universal sanitation coverage and to put focus on sanitation, the Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi, launched the Swachh Bharat Mission on 2nd October, 2014. The Mission Coordinator shall be Secretary, Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation (DDWS), Ministry of Jalshakti with two Sub-Missions – the Swachh Bharat Mission (Gramin) and the Swachh Bharat Mission (Urban). The Mission aims to achieve a Swachh Bharat by 2019, as a fitting tribute to Mahatma Gandhi on his 150th birth anniversary.