Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM)

The Prime Minister of India launched the Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) on 2nd October, 2014 for ensuring hygiene, waste management and sanitation across the nation and to accelerate the efforts to achieve universal sanitation coverage. It has two Sub-Missions: the Swachh Bharat Mission (Gramin) – SBM(G)  and the Swachh Bharat Mission (Urban) – SBM(U); being implemented by Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation (M/o DWS) and the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (M/o HUA) respectively. Together, it aims to achieve Swachh Bharat by 2019, as a fitting tribute to Mahatma Gandhi on his 150th Birth Anniversary. By inviting people to participate in the drive, the Swachhta Abhiyan has become a ‘Jan Andolan. A sense of responsibility has been evoked among the people through the Clean India Movement. 

The objectives of SBM include:

i) Elimination of open defecation i.e. making villages Open Defecation Free (ODF)

ii) Eradication of Manual Scavenging

iii) Modern and Scientific Solid and Liquid Waste Management and to encourage cost-effective and appropriate technologies for ecologically safe and sustainable sanitation

iv) To effect behavioral change regarding healthy sanitation practices

v) Generate awareness about sanitation and its linkage with public health

vi) To create the significant positive impact on gender and promote social inclusion by improving sanitation especially in marginalized communities and

vii) Capacity Augmentation for Local Bodies to create an enabling environment for private sector participation in Capex (capital expenditure) and Opex (operation and maintenance).

The Strategy is to move towards a ‘Swachh Bharat’ by providing flexibility to State governments, as sanitation is a State subject. It intends to augment the institutional capacity of districts for undertaking intensive behaviour change activities at the grassroots level, strengthening the capacities of implementing agencies to roll out the programme in a time-bound manner and to measure collective outcomes as well as incentivizing the performance of State-level institutions. An army of ‘foot soldiers’ or ‘Swachhagrahis’, earlier known as ‘Swachhata Doots’ is developed and engaged through existing arrangements like Panchayati Raj Institutions, Co-operatives, Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHAs), Anganwadi workers, Women Groups, Community Based Organisations, Self-Help Groups etc. A robust monitoring arrangement has been put in place to monitor ODF status of a village, the implementation of Solid and Liquid Waste Management projects as well as the construction and use of household toilets, school and Anganwadi toilets, and Community Sanitary Complexes.