On 2nd October 2024, Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi participated in the Swachh Bharat Diwas program held at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi, Delhi on the occasion of the 155th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.
- The program was organised to commemorate the successful completion of 10 years of Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM), one of the most significant mass movements for cleanliness in India.
- The Swachh Bharat Diwas programme has showcased India’s decade-long sanitation achievements and of recently concluded Swachhata Hi Seva 2024 (SHS 2024) campaign.
Key Dignitaries: Union Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA); Union Minister CR Patil, Ministry of Jal Shakti (MoJS); Union Minister of State (MoS) Tokhan Sahu, MoHUA; Union MoS Dr. Raj Bhushan Choudhary, MoJS were present at the event.
About SBM:
i.The Campaign Clean India was launched by PM Narendra Modi on 2nd October, 2014 in New Delhi, Delhi. The mission embraced a “whole-of-government” approach to make sanitation responsibility of all.
ii.The campaign has initially set the target to achieve the vision of “Clean India” by 2nd October, 2019 on the occasion of the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.
iii.It has two main components: SBM-Gramin (SBM-G), implemented by the DDWS, MoJS and SBM-Urban (SBM-U), implemented by the MoHUA.
Key Achievements of SBM:
i.Increased Toilet Access: Under the SBM, over 10 crore toilets have been constructed and 6 lakh villages were declared Open Defecation-Free (ODF)on 2nd October, 2019.
- As per the MoHUA, Urban India, except for cities in West Bengal (WB) was announced as ODF in 2019.
- As per the DDWS, over 55% of villages in India have been declared “ODF Plus Model”, 5lakh waste collection vehicles in operation,
ii.Better Safety for Women: According to UNICEF report, 93% of women in India felt safe in India after the construction of toilets in their homes.
iii.Increased in Family Savings: Households in ODF villages save an average of Rs 50,000 per year on health-related expenses.
iv.Enhanced Health Facilities: According to the 2018 World Health Organisation (WHO) report, over 3 lakh diarrhoeal deaths were prevented in 2019 compared to 2014, attributed to enhanced sanitation facilities.
- Also, Nature Magazine has estimated that the efforts of SBM helped to avert 60,000-70,000 child deaths annually.
v.Reduced Groundwater Contamination: Villages which are declared ODF, the risk of contamination due to human waste is 12.7 times lower.
vi.Global Recognition: In 2019, PM Narendra Modi received the Goalkeeper Award from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, for the progress made under the SBM.
SBM– G : Phase II (2019–2025):
i.Building on the success of Phase I, SBM-G Phase II was launched in 2019 with an investment of Rs. 1.40 lakh crores to sustain the ODF status and manage solid and liquid waste by 2025. This phase focuses on “Sampoorn Swachhata(complete cleanliness)”, which includes creating ODF Plus villages that maintain and improve sanitation standards.
ii.As of September 2024, over 5.87 lakh villages across India have achieved ODF Plus status, with over 3.92 lakh villages implementing solid waste management systems and over 4.95 lakh villages establishing liquid waste management systems.
SBM-U2:
i.The SBM-U was launched on October 2, 2014, has significantly transformed urban sanitation and cleanliness in India. Focused on achieving 100% Open Defecation Free (ODF) status, ensuring scientific Solid Waste Management (SWM), and driving behaviour change through a “Jan Andolan” (people’s movement), SBM-U has had a far-reaching impact.
ii.As of September 2024, the initiative has seen the construction of over 63 lakh household toilets and more than 6.3 lakh public toilets.
Other Key Achievements of SBM:
i.Also, significant progress was made in grey water and plastic waste management. Plastic waste management is being implemented in 3,000 blocks across India, with plastic waste being used in road construction to replace bitumen
ii.Under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY), about 40,000 kilometer (km) of rural roads have been built using the plastic waste management technique, with 13,000 km completed in the last 2 years alone.
Note: Indore(Madhya Pradesh, MP) is the cleanest city in India, for the 7th time in a row, in the Annual Swachh Survekshan 2023.
Key Highlights of Swachh Bharat Diwas:
Launch of Projects Related to Sanitation and Cleanliness Worth over Rs 9600 Crore
i.During the event, PM Modi launched and laid the foundation stone for several projects related to sanitation and cleanliness, worth more than Rs 9,600 crore.
ii.It will include projects worth over Rs 6,800 crore, aimed to enhance urban water and sewage systems under Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) and AMRUT 2.0.
iii.There will be 10 projects worth more than Rs 1550 crore, which will be focused on improving water quality and waste management in Ganga basin areas under the National Mission for Clean Ganga.
iv.Also, 15 Compressed Biogas (CBG) plant worth over Rs 1332 crore will be launched under Galvanizing Organic Bio-Agro Resources Dhan (GOBARdhan) scheme.
Conclusion of Swachhata Hi Seva 2024 Campaign:
i.The SHS 2024 campaign which was observed across India from 17th September, 2024 to 2nd October, 2024, successfully culminated in the Swachh Bharat Diwas program.
- Theme of SHS 2024: ‘Swabhav Swachhata-Sanskar Swachhata’.
- The year 2024 marks the 7th anniversary of SHS since its launch in 2017.
ii.The campaign was officially launched by the Department of Drinking Water & Sanitation (DDWS), MoJS and MoHUA during an event held at Sushma Swaraj Bhawan.
iii.The campaign was focused on 3 key pillars: reviving neglected areas with health and hygiene risks, encouraging public participation in cleanliness activities, and improving the welfare of sanitation workers.
Key Accomplishments of SHS 2024:
The SHS 2024 achieved significant milestones during its nationwide cleanliness drive, engaging millions of citizens in collective actions. Some of the key accomplishments of campaign as of 1st October, 2024:
i.A total of 29.21 lakh events were planned, of which 26.44 lakh events were successfully completed.
ii.The campaign witnessed the impressive public participation of 26.25 crore individuals.
iii.Total 2.11 lakh areas alongside the roadside, which included areas of national highways, state highways, and local roads, were cleaned and revitalized.
iv.Market spaces witnessed the transformation of 56,526 locations.
v.Total 48,418 areas of surrounding public and private offices were improved as part of the campaign.
vi.More than 61 lakh trees were planted during the campaign period.
vii.A total of 3.04 lakh Swachhata pledges were taken by the citizens during the campaign period.
viii.A total of 15,710 Swachh Food Streets were established to promote hygiene in public eating spaces.
ix.A total of 76,837 Swachh Bharat Cultural Fests were organised across the country, to celebrate and raise awareness about cleanliness.
x.Over 45 lakh trees have been planted under Ek Ped Maa ke Naam campaign.
- Also, about 1 lakh Safai Mitra Suraksha Shivirs have been organised and has benefitted over 30 lakh Safai Mitras.
- Transformation of nearly 6.5 lakh CTUs has been achieved.
Note: SHSwas launched by Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi in 2017, as an important campaign under SBM.
Key Milestones Achieved by SHS since its launch in 2017:
i.So far, almost 25 lakh events have been completed under the SHS campaign and had witnessed the public participation of over 20 crore people across all walks of the society, with over 19 lakh events across rural areas and almost 5 lakh events in urban areas.
ii.Since its launch, transformation of over 7.35 lakh CTUs have been done with the participation of participants with over 4.83 lakh events in rural areas and 2.53 lakh events in urban areas.
iii.About 1.57 lakh Safai Mitra Suraksha Shivirs have been conducted in which more than 36.34 lakh Safai Mitras have been benefitted across India with participation of over 38 lakh people.
iv.Over 55 lakh trees have been planted across the country under “Ek Ped Maa ke Naam” initiative.
v.Uttar Pradesh (UP), Bihar, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu (TN) and Rajasthan, emerged as the top 5 best performing states in the transformation of CTUs.
vi.Andhra Pradesh (AP), Bihar, Uttar Pradesh (UP), Tamil Nadu (TN) and Telangana, emerged as the top 5 best performing states in conducting of Safai Mitra Suraksha Shivirs.
vii.Andhra Pradesh (AP), Bihar, Uttar Pradesh (UP), Maharashtra and Telangana, emerged as the top 5 best performing states in “Swachhata Mein Jan Bhagidari” initiative.
Other Key Activities on Swachh Bharat Diwas:
i.Special Gram Sabhas for Swachhata have been organised.
ii.The program celebrated the transformation of CTUs sites.
iii.During the event, Safai Mitras and other state champions were felicitated.
iv.Also, Awards were bestowed to best performers of SHS 2024.
v.The program witnessed the inauguration/foundation of community toilets, Solid Waste Management (SWM) projects, among other initiatives.
About Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA):
Union Minister- Manohar Lal Khattar (Constituency- Karnal, Haryana)
Minister of State (MoS)- Tokhan Sahu (Constituency- Bilaspur, Chhattisgarh)
About Ministry of Jal Shakti (MoJS):
Union Minister-Chandrakant Raghunath Patil(Constituency- Navsari, Gujara)
Minister of State (MoS)-Veeranna Somanna (Constituency- Tumkur, Karnataka); Dr. Raj Bhushan Choudhary (Constituency- Muzaffarpur, Bihar)
