Relevance: GS-2 : Welfare schemes for vulnerable sections of the population by the Centre and States and the performance of these schemes;

Key Phrases:  SBM-G, ODF, ODF+, ODF++, GOBARDHAN, Greywater, SLWM

Why in News ?

• Recently, as part of Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav, the Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation, Ministry of Jal Shakti celebrated Iconic Week from 31.1.2022 to 6.02.2022.

Key Highlights

• During this week, States organized extensive activities for both the flagship programmes of the Department viz. Swachh Bharat Mission (Grameen) (SBM-G) and Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM).
• For accelerating efforts by villages towards ODF Plus declaration, during the iconic week, as part of SBM-G, States/UTs were encouraged to organize a focused campaign for ODF Plus villages.
• During the week, rural India witnessed well-coordinated efforts to increase awareness and nudge behavior change for Sampoorna Swachhata.

Activities Performed

• Poem/song competitions on sanitation in schools, rallies for spreading the message of Swachhata,
• Painting competitions on the issue of Swacchata were also organized in villages.
• Community activities like Nukkad nataks, pledge taking by Sarpanches in Gram Sabha to eliminate use of Single-Use Plastic (SUP),
• Sanitation drives in schools, AWCs, community centers were also organized following COVID Appropriate protocols.
• The week also emerged as an occasion to felicitate the exemplary work of Swachhagrahis, field functionaries for the cause of Swachhata.

About ODF, ODF+, ODF++ Tag

• ODF
  • A city/ward is notified as ODF city/ward if, at any point of the day, not a single person is found defecating in the open.
• ODF+
  • A city, ward or work circle could be declared ODF+ if, “at any point of the day, not a single person is found defecating and/or urinating in the open, and all community and public toilets are functional and well-maintained.”
• ODF++
  • The ODF++ protocol adds the condition that “faecal sludge/septage and sewage is safely managed and treated, with no discharging and/or dumping of untreated faecal sludge/septage and sewage in drains, water bodies or open areas.”

Initiatives Taken under ODF Plus

• Biodegradable Waste Management (BWM) including Gobardhan,
• Plastic Waste Management (PWM) including Menstrual Waste Management,
• Grey water Management (GWM)
• Faecal Waste Management (FSM)
• ODF Sustainability with intensive IEC campaigns on Behavior Change and mass awareness among community members for desirable actions.
• The campaign ‘Janandolan for Sampoorna Swachhata’ received significant momentum and wide community participation during this week.

About Swachh Bharat Mission

• To accelerate the efforts to achieve universal sanitation coverage and to put focus on sanitation, the Prime Minister of India had launched the Swachh Bharat Mission on 2nd October 2014.
• The mission was implemented as a nation-wide campaign/Janandolan which aimed at eliminating open defecation in rural areas during the period 2014 to 2019 through mass scale behavior change, construction of household-owned and community-owned toilets and establishing mechanisms for monitoring toilet construction and usage.
• The mission is aimed at progressing towards target 6.2 of the Sustainable Development Goals Number 6 established by the United Nations in 2015.

SBM-U and SBM-G

• The mission was split into two: Rural and Urban.
• In rural areas “SBM – Gramin” (SBM-G) was financed and monitored through the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation.
• “SBM – urban” (SBM-U) was overseen by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.

Swachh Bharat Mission (Rural) (SBM-G)

Phase 1

• The Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan had been restructured into the Swachh Bharat Mission (Gramin).
• The SBM(G) was launched on 2nd October 2014 to ensure cleanliness in India and make it Open Defecation Free (ODF) in Five Years.
• It seeks to improve the levels of cleanliness in rural areas through Solid and Liquid Waste Management activities and making Gram Panchayats Open Defecation Free (ODF), clean and sanitised.
• Incentive as provided under the Mission for the construction of Individual Household Latrines (IHHL) was available for all Below Poverty Line (BPL)
• Households and Above Poverty Line (APL) households restricted to SCs/STs, small and marginal farmers, landless labourers with homestead, physically handicapped and women headed households.
• All stakeholders worked together from 2014 to 2019 and in a time bound manner ensured that, as on 2nd October 2019 all districts across India, declared themselves as ODF.

Phase 2

• The second phase will be implemented on a mission mode between 2020-21 and 2024-25.
• The second phase will focus on Open Defecation Free Plus (ODF Plus), which includes ODF sustainability and solid and liquid waste management (SLWM).
• The ODF Plus programme will converge with MGNREGA, especially for grey water management, and will complement the newly launched Jal Jeevan Mission.
• The programme will also work towards ensuring that no one is left behind and everyone uses a toilet.
• The Swachh Bharat Mission in its second phase is committed to achieving Sampoorna Swachhata by transforming the mission into a Jan Andolan.
• Phase lI will provide impetus to the rural economy through the construction of household toilets and need-based community sanitary complexes, as well as the infrastructure for solid and liquid waste management such as compost pits, soak pits, waste stabilization ponds, bio-gas plants, material recovery facilities, etc
• The fund sharing pattern between the 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.

Results of SBM-G

• Swachh Bharat Mission in its first phase devoted itself to making India open defecation free (ODF).
• The Swachh Bharat Mission became the world’s largest behaviour change programme by working towards making India open defecation free in a period of five years.
• Rural sanitation coverage has increased from 39 percent in 2014 to 100 percent in 2019 with over 10.2 crore toilets built across Indian districts.
• Various global agencies such as UNICEF, WHO and others have estimated significant economic, educational, environmental, health and social impacts of the Swachh Bharat Mission’s ODF achievements.
• India achieved the SDG Goal for providing safe sanitation for all 11 years before the targeted year of 2030.
• The success of the programme is attributed to the 4 Ps – political leadership, public financing, partnerships and public participation.

About Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM)

• It was launched in 2019.
• It is under the Ministry of Jal Shakti.
• JJM envisages supply of 55 litres of water per person per day to every rural household through Functional Household Tap Connections (FHTC) by 2024.
• JJM focuses on integrated demand and supply-side management of water at the local level.
• The Mission is based on a community approach to water. It looks to create a jan andolan for water, thereby making it everyone’s priority.
• It promotes and ensures voluntary ownership among local communities by way of contribution in cash, kind and/ or labor and voluntary labor.
• The fund sharing pattern between the Centre and states is 90:10 for Himalayan and North-Eastern States, 50:50 for other states, and 100% for Union Territories.

Conclusion

• It is hoped that these activities will lead to significant improvement in SLWM (Solid and Liquid Waste Management) arrangements countrywide and give a big push to villages/ GPs towards the attainment of ODF Plus status and continue with the mission goal of ODF Plus India by 2024.

Mains Question

Q. Discuss the reasons behind the success of the Swachh Bharat mission. How the success of this campaign against open-defecation can act as a model for other schemes and policies?

Source: PIB, Vikaspedia