Ten years of a national developmental program such as the SBM is a good time to take stock of its progress and achievements. The four key lessons of the Swachh Bharat Mission became known as the four Ps — political leadership, public financing, partnerships, and people’s participation.
Tags: GS – 2, Governance– Health– Government Policies & Interventions
What is Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM)?
- About:
- The Swachh Bharat Mission is a large-scale initiative aimed at achieving a Clean India by 2019.
- Emphasizing the principles advocated by Mahatma Gandhi, the mission highlights that cleanliness leads to a healthy and prosperous life.
- Launched on October 2, 2014, the mission encompasses both rural and urban areas.
- The urban component is managed by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, while the rural component is overseen by the Ministry of Jal Shakti.
- Swachh Bharat Mission for Urban Areas:
- Phase 1:
- Objectives include covering 1.04 crore households, providing 2.5 lakh community toilets, 2.6 lakh public toilets, and establishing a solid waste management facility in each town.
- Public toilets will be set up in locations like tourist spots, markets, bus stations, and railway stations. The program spans 4,401 towns over five years.
- Financial assistance for community toilets includes up to 40% Central Government funding as Viability Gap Funding (VGF) or grant, with states/UTs contributing an additional 13.33%.
- North-Eastern and special category states will contribute 4%, with the remainder arranged by urban local bodies. The approximate cost per community toilet is Rs 65,000.
- Phase 2:
- SBM-U 2.0 aims to make all cities ‘Garbage Free’ and ensure management of grey and black water in cities not covered under AMRUT.
- It seeks to make all urban local bodies ODF+ and those with populations under 1 lakh as ODF++, ensuring safe sanitation.
- Focus areas include source segregation of solid waste, implementing the 3Rs (reduce, reuse, recycle) principles, scientific processing of municipal solid waste, and remediation of legacy dumpsites. The outlay for SBM-U 2.0 is approximately Rs 1.41 lakh crore for 2021-22 to 2025-26.
- This phase continues from the Swachh Bharat Mission (Urban) and includes components like:
- Sustainable sanitation (toilet construction)
- Wastewater treatment, including fecal sludge management in urban local bodies with less than 1 lakh population
- Solid Waste Management
- Information, Education, and Communication
- Capacity building
- Swachh Bharat Mission for Rural Areas:
- Phase 1:
- The Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan was restructured into the Swachh Bharat Mission (Gramin), launched on October 2, 2014, with the goal of ensuring cleanliness and making rural India Open Defecation Free (ODF) within five years.
- Incentives under the mission for Individual Household Latrines (IHHL) were available for Below Poverty Line (BPL) households, with restrictions for Above Poverty Line (APL) households, particularly targeting SCs/STs, small and marginal farmers, landless laborers, physically handicapped, and women-headed households.
- The incentive amount for BPL/APL households was up to Rs 12,000 for constructing one IHHL unit, covering water availability for hand-washing and toilet cleaning.
- The Central share was Rs 9,000 (75%) and the State share Rs 3,000 (25%).
- For North-Eastern and special category states, the Central share was Rs 10,800 and the State share Rs 1,200 (90%:10%). Beneficiaries were encouraged to contribute additionally to promote ownership.
- Phase 2:
- Following the achievement of an ODF India from 2014 to 2019, Phase-II focuses on sustaining ODF status and enhancing Solid and Liquid Waste Management (SLWM) in rural areas.
- Launched in February 2020 with an outlay of Rs 1,40,881 crores, this phase emphasizes the sustainability of ODF status and integrating various funding sources and schemes from Central and State Governments. Implementation is planned from 2020-21 to 2024-25.
Health, Economic, and Social Impact of Swachh Bharat Mission:
- Health Impact: It significantly reduced infant and child mortality rates, saving 60,000 to 70,000 lives annually, primarily by decreasing waterborne diseases like diarrhoea, cholera, and typhoid through contaminated water and soil.
- Economic Impact: Achieving ODF status can save each household about Rs 50,000 annually, according to UNICEF. Savings stem from lower medical expenses, increased productivity, and time savings due to reduced health issues.
- Social Impact: SBM has improved dignity and safety for women by providing private toilets, reducing their exposure to harassment and sexual violence and enhancing their overall quality of life.
Different Components of SBM:
- Swachh Vidyalaya Abhiyan:
- Launched by the Ministry of Education, the Swachh Vidyalaya Programme aims to provide separate toilets for boys and girls in all government schools within one year.
- As of 2018, approximately 4.5 lakh toilets were constructed under this initiative. Financial support is provided to States/Union Territories through Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) and Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA).
- Rashtriya Swachhata Kosh:
- Swachh Bharat Kosh (SBK) channels philanthropic and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) funds to improve cleanliness in rural and urban areas, including schools.
- The Kosh aims to supplement and complement departmental resources, with efforts being made to provide tax rebates to incentivize contributions.
- GOBAR-DHAN:
- Launched in 2018 by the Ministry of Jal Shakti, the Galvanizing Organic Bio-Agro Resources Scheme (GOBAR-DHAN) aims to increase farmers’ income by converting biodegradable waste into compressed biogas (CBG).
- By 2021, the scheme had facilitated the construction of over 500 biogas plants in rural areas.
Issues in SBM Implementation:
- No Universal Access to Toilets: A 2023 Comptroller and Auditor General report found that in urban slums, approximately 30% of residents lacked access to adequate sanitation facilities.
- Technology Not Acting: SBM’s reliance on large technologies for waste management, such as only 15% of the planned waste-to-energy plants, has not met expectations.
- Making Sanitation a Profit Entity: City governments have invested in expensive machinery and outsourcing sanitation services, with road sweeping machines costing around Rs 1 crore each.
- Lack of Water Supply: In rural areas, only 42.5% of households have access to water for toilet use, affecting the effectiveness of toilet facilities.
- Open Defecation as a Habit Among Children: Although open defecation decreased by 12% from 2015 to 2023, nearly 50% of rural populations still defecate in the open.
Ways to Improve SBM Effectiveness:
- Promoting Adequate Behavioral Change: Focus on behavior change towards toilet use, learning from past programs like the Central Rural Sanitation Programme (1986), which failed due to inadequate emphasis on behavioral change.
- Following the Holistic Path: Strengthen political support, use e-banking for subsidies, and improve monitoring through technological platforms to achieve Open Defecation Free (ODF) status by October 2, 2019.
- Improving Sewer Infrastructure in Village Areas: Address the lack of sewage systems in rural areas before constructing toilets. Integrate village segments into the AMRUT program to enhance sanitation infrastructure.
- Robust Waste Management Systems: Scale up waste processing, focusing on waste segregation, collection, and processing. Aim for 100% solid waste management to address pollution and landfill overflow issues.
- Addressing the Tax Burden: Rationalize GST rates on recycling( 12%) and composting(5%)to support the growth of the recycling sector and the production of city compost.
- Adoption and Integration of Technologies: Implement robust e-Governance solutions, including mobile apps and dashboards developed by the National Informatics Centre (NIC), to track SBM progress and improve transparency.
Conclusion:
SBM has significantly increased toilet access and advanced sanitation in India. However, addressing environmental safety, fecal-oral disease transmission, and implementation challenges is crucial for achieving universal sanitation and meeting Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
UPSC Civil Services Examination, Previous Year Question (PYQ)
Prelims:
Q.:1 As per the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016 in India, which one of the following statements is correct? (2019)
(a) Waste generator has to segregate waste into five categories.
(b) The Rules are applicable to notified urban local bodies, notified towns and all industrial townships only
(c) The Rules provide for exact and elaborate criteria for the identification of sites for landfills and waste processing facilities.
(d) It is mandatory on the part of the waste generator that the waste generated in one district cannot be moved to another district.
Ans: (c)
Mains:
Q:1 What are the impediments in disposing of the huge quantities of discarded solid waste which are continuously being generated? How do we safely remove the toxic wastes that have been accumulating in our habitable environment? (2021)
Q:2 “To ensure effective implementation of policies addressing the water, sanitation and hygiene needs the identification of the beneficiary segments is to be synchronized with anticipated outcomes.” Examine the statement in the context of the WASH scheme. (2017)
Q:3 How could social influence and persuasion contribute to the success of Swachh Bharat Abhiyan? (2016)
Source: IE
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