Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation (DDWS), Ministry of Jal Shakti has selected 12 iconic sites which will be transformed into ‘Swachh Tourist Destinations’ under Phase-IV of ‘Swachh Iconic Places (SIP)’ initiative of Swachh Bharat Mission Gramin (SBM-G).
- Already 30 Sites across India have been selected under the Phase I, II & III of the ‘SIP’ initiative.
What is SIP Initiative
- It is a brainchild of Prime Minister Narendra Modi & was launched in 2016.
- SIP aims to achieve high levels of Sanitation/Cleanliness at 100 Iconic sites across India for enhancing the experience of domestic & foreign visitors.
- The sites will be designated as Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) or corporates for their financial & Technical support.
- The sites are designated as ‘iconic’ due to their heritage, religious or cultural significance.
Implementing Agencies
i.The Ministry of Drinking Water & Sanitation (MDWS) is the nodal agency for this initiative.
ii.It is a collaborative project between 3 Central Ministries
- Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs (MoHUA)
- Ministry of Tourism
- Ministry of Culture
Public Sector, Private Companies & Concerned State/UT Governments will be part of the implementation aspects.
Selected Sites
| S. No | Iconic Site | State |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ajanta Caves | Maharashtra |
| 2 | Sanchi Stupa | Madhya Pradesh |
| 3 | Kumbhalgarh Fort | Rajasthan |
| 4 | Jaisalmer Fort | Rajasthan |
| 5 | Ramdevra | Jaisalmer, Rajasthan |
| 6 | Golconda Fort | Hyderabad, Telangana |
| 7 | Sun Temple | Konark, Odisha |
| 8 | Rock Garden | Chandigarh |
| 9 | Dal Lake | Srinagar, Jammu & Kashmir |
| 10 | Banke Bihari Temple | Mathura, Uttar Pradesh |
| 11 | Agra Fort | Agra, Uttar Pradesh |
| 12 | Kalighat Temple | West Bengal |
Initiative taken up under the SIP initiative:
Improved sewage infrastructure, installation of Sewage Treatment Plant (STP), Liquid Waste Management (SLWM) set-up, lighting arrangements, beautification of parks, roads maintenance, better transport facilities in the sites.
Swachh Bharat Mission
- The Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) was launched by the Government of India in 2014 to eliminate open Defecation & improve Solid Waste Management (SWM) in India.
- It is being implemented in 2 Phases – Phase – I from 2014-October, 2019, Phase – II will be implemented between 2020-21 & 2024-25.
- It is aimed at Progressing towards target 6.2 of the Sustainable Development Goals – Number 6 (SDG-6) established by the UN in 2015.
- It aims to cover 1.04 Crore households, provide 2.5 Lakh community toilets, 2.6 lakh public toilets & a solid waste management facility in each town.
Division of SBM
SBM is split into 2: Rural & Urban
- SBM-Gramin is financed & monitored through Ministry of Drinking Water & Sanitation
- SBM-Urban is overseen by the Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs.
Allocation in Union Budget 2021-22:
In the Union Budget 2021-22, it was announced that Swachh Bharat Mission (Urban) will be implemented with allocation of INR 1, 41, 678 crores over a period of 5 years from 2021-26.
Recent Related News:
i.August 12, 2020, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Union Minister for Jal Shakti launched the Swachh Bharat Mission(SBM) Academy at an event in New Delhi.
ii.On August 20, 2020, Hardeep Singh Puri, Minister of State (MoS) (I/C) MoHUA announced the 5th edition of the annual cleanliness urban survey of India i.e.” Swachh Survekshan 2020 (SS2020)” conducted by MoHUA.
About Ministry of Jal Shakti:
Union Minister – Gajendra Singh Shekhawat (Lok Sabha MP, Constituency – Jodhpur, Rajasthan)
Minister of State – Rattan Lal Kataria (Lok Sabha MP, Constituency – Ambala, Haryana)
