Swachh Bharat Mission – A Citizens Movement
The Ministry of Drinking Water and
Sanitation has spearheaded the Swachh Bharat Mission in rural India, after
Hon’ble Prime Minister gave a call to the Nation to make India Swachh within
five years by 2019. This entailed freedom from open defecation, and solid and
liquid waste management. Since open defecation is closely linked to diarrhoeal
deaths, morbidity, poor education, malnutrition and poverty, the main focus of
the programme in the first year has been accelerating efforts towards
eradicating it. Towards this end, since the launch of Swachh Bharat, nearly 80
lakh toilets have been constructed. What is at the crux of the matter is,
however, that the focus of the programme is not toilet construction but on
behaviour change and community involvement in Sanitation as the preferred
approach. The States are free to choose their approach, given their
socio-economic-cultural milieu.
Realising that the health benefits
accrue only when the entire village becomes free from open defecation, the
Ministry has focussed on achievement of open defecation free (ODF) villages,
besides increase in coverage. The parameters of ODF have now been standardised
and a uniform definition provided to the States. Process is on to now roll-out
the mechanism for verification of ODF by the States. A framework is also being
put in place to incentivise better performing States, so that focus is on
outcomes and moving ahead on a fast track.
There is a major focus on capacity
building, given the criticality of skills required for change in age-old habits
and mind-set. District is identified as the key unit of implementation, and
District Collectors are being trained so that they can give the leadership to
the programme. Close to 206 Collectors from across India have already been
trained, many of them are emerging as champions and strategizing to make their
districts ODF within the next two-three years. States have also taken up
capacity building in right earnest and workshops on community oriented
approaches and attitudinal change have begun in many States.
Some extremely encouraging innovations
and inspiring events are happening across rural India presently. In States such
as Chhattisgarh and Punjab, there is focus on complete achievement of ODF
communities, and not just increase in coverage. ODF has been made the basis of
planning and monitoring in these States, and therefore, work is progressing at
speed. Chhattisgarh has planned 1889 Gram Panchayats to be ODF by March 2016,
and Punjab has initiated "Mission 1000" - i.e. to make 1000 GPs ODF
by October 2, 2015. In the state of Madhya Pradesh initiatives like
gifting toilets to the sisters on “Raksha Bandhan” have been taken and the
programme has been named as “Operation Mal Youdh”. In Rajasthan, for the
panchayat elections, toilets in the house has been made a compulsory
qualification for contesting the elections. In Assam and Odisha each village
achieving the ODF status is seeing celebrations as in a festival. In west
Bengal district Nadia has been declared as the first district achieving the ODF
status. The collector of Nadia has been awarded in the UN forum for his
contribution.
The States are also utilizing
flexibility provided by the programme to achieve programme objectives faster.
For example, some States/districts are choosing to give incentive directly to
communities, rather than individuals, in those villages where community
processes have been adopted. States are also bringing out innovative policies
at their end to boost the programme.
The ministry has been leveraging
its efforts to disseminate clear messages using 360 degree Media Campaign and
interactive social media tools to provide a platform for sharing innovative
practices across the country.
The ministry is also mandated to
provide safe and potable drinking water to all the rural population. Though we
have already achieved the millennium development goal, the issues related with
the quality of drinking water in the rural areas still remain a concern. In
order to achieve the targets, the Ministry has formulated guidelines to provide
minimum 8 to 10 liters per capaita per day potable water through suitable
community water purification plants in water quality affected habitations. In
the naxal affected and difficult areas, 20,000 habitations across the country
are being provided with solar power based dual pumping piped water supply in
collaboration with national clean energy fund.
In the states of Assam, Bihar,
Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh, a separate World Bank assisted project costing Rs.
6000 cr. has been launched. The project is estimated to benefit about 78 lakh
rural populations in these states with provision of piped water supply.
Innovative technology in the water and
sanitation sectors always plays an important role and the Ministry has
organised three exhibitions cum workshop in Delhi called “Indovation”. In each
of the exhibitions, innovators from all parts of India presented and showcased
their technologies, which are cheap, affordable and sustainable. Some very
innovative technologies like using jute to prepare the super structure of
toilet, nano technology for water purification, water less urinals, etc were
exhibited. Ministry has constituted a high level committee under the
chairmanship of eminent Professor Dr. R.A Mashelkar, which examines and
endorses the technologies for acceptance by the states for implementation. A
link in the website has been created, wherein any innovator can submit his or
her technology for placement before the high level committee for examination.
Now the challenge is to popularise these shortlisted technologies at the grass
roots level through organizing Indovation at State and Regional levels.
During the flood in Jammu and
Kashmir this year, this Ministry came forward and on a short notice arranged
airlifting of mobile water treatment plants and water bottles for the flood
victims. Massive awareness drive about the water and sanitation issues and
challenges has been a key to the success of the Swachh Bharat Mission and
providing potable drinking water through national rural drinking programme. The
ministry has targeted in the recently held “Puri RathYatra” through a
massive campaign, and the ongoing Kumbhmela in Nashik is also witnessing
notable campaigning.
The next chapter in SBM will unfold
with the “Citizens Movement” to take the mission forward as a befitting tribute to the “Father of Nation” on his 150th birth
anniversary in 2019.
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