Swachh Bharat Mission (U) 2.0

Swachh Bharat Mission (U) 2.0

News: Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi launched Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban 2.0 and Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation 2.0.

SWACHH BHARAT MISSION-URBAN 2.0

Background:
• The announcement for the launch of SBM was made by Hon’ble Prime Minister on 15th August 2014, with the Mission being formally launched on 2nd October 2014.
• The objectives of the Mission were –
• Eradication of open defecation in all statutory towns;
• 100% scientific management of municipal solid waste in all statutory towns; and
• effecting behaviour change through Jan Andolan.

Achievement of SBM (U) 1.0:
• Over the last seven years, the Mission has reached all corners of the country and has changed the lives of countless citizens with its ‘people first’ focus. The Mission revolutionized the sanitation space in urban India, by providing 100% access to sanitation facilities in urban India. Under it, over 70 lakh households, community and public toilets have been built, thus providing safe and dignified sanitation solutions for all. The Mission has prioritized the needs of women, transgender communities, and persons with disabilities (Divyangs).
• The Mission provided access to sanitation facilities which have been improved further through digital innovation such as SBM Toilets on Google Maps where over 65,000 public toilets across 3,300+ cities have been made live.
• Urban India was declared open defecation free in 2019 following which the Mission has propelled urban India on the path of sustainable sanitation, with over 3,000 cities and over 950 cities being certified ODF+ and ODF++ respectively. Cities are progressing towards Water+ certification under the Water+ Protocol which focuses on treatment of wastewater and its optimum reuse.
• In the area of scientific waste management, waste processing in India has gone up over four times from 18% in 2014 to 70% today. This has been aided through 100% door-to-door waste collection in 97% wards and source segregation of waste being practised by citizens across 85% wards.
• The Mission has been able to bring about a marked difference in the lives of sanitation workers and informal waste workers with over 5.5 lakh sanitation workerslinked to social welfare schemes. The uninterrupted services by frontline sanitation workers played a key role in ensuring the safety of urban India during Covid-19 pandemic.
• The active participation of 20 crore citizens (comprising over 50% of India’s urban population) in the program has successfully transformed the Mission into a people’s movement, a true Jan Andolanthrough massive IEC and behaviour change campaigns.
• Digital enablements such as Swachhata App, the digital grievance redressal platform introduced by MoHUA in 2016, has reinvented the way in which citizen grievance redressal is managed. The App has resolved over 2 crore citizen complaints till date with active engagement from citizens. MoHUA has recently launched the revamped version of Swachhata App 2.0.
• Swachh Survekshan,the world’s largest urban cleanliness survey covering over 4,000 Urban Local Bodies was initiated under SBM-Urban in 2016. The Survekshan framework has evolved with the years and has today become a unique management tool that accelerates ground level implementation to achieve sanitation outcomes. Swachh Survekshan 2021 was conducted in record time despite the on-ground challenges posed by the pandemic.
• Over the years, the survey has received over 7 crore citizen feedback cumulatively. Continuous capacity building of state and city level officials was undertaken, with over 10 lakh municipal officials and staff trained on various Mission components.

SBM (U) 2.0
• Now, taking a big leap from the SBM-U’s accomplishments, the focus of SBM-U 2.0 in the next 5 years will be on sustaining the sanitation and solid waste management outcomes achieved and accelerate the momentum generated, thus taking Urban India to the next level of ‘Swachhata’. Following will be the key components for implementation under SBM-U 2.0
• The Mission will focus on ensuring complete access to sanitation facilities to serve additional population migrating from rural to urban areas in search of employment and better opportunities over the next 5 years. This will be done through the construction of over 3.5 lakhs individual, community and public toilets. Complete liquid waste management in cities in less than 1 lakh population – a new component introduced under SBM-Urban 2.0 will ensure that all wastewater is safely contained, collected, transported and treated so that no wastewater pollutes our water bodies.
• Under the Sustainable Solid Waste Management, greater emphasis will be on source segregation. Material Recovery Facilities, and waste processing facilities will be set up, with a focus on phasing out single use plastic. Construction & demolition waste processing facilitieswill be set upand mechanical sweepers deployedin National Clean Air Programme cities and in cities with more than 5 lakh population. Remediation of all legacy dumpsites will be another key component of the Mission.
• It is expected that under Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban 2.0, all statutory towns will become at least ODF+; and all cities with <1 lakh population ODF++. Systems and processes will be in place so that all waste water is safely treated and optimally reused and no untreated wastewater pollutes water bodies.
• Regarding the Solid Waste Management, it is expected that all cities will achieve at least 3-star Garbage Free certification under SBM-U 2.0.
• Special focus will be put on the well-being on sanitation and informal waste workers, through provision of personal protective equipment and safety kits, linkages with government welfare schemes along with their capacity building.
• A financial outlay of ₹1,41,600 crores has been finalized for SBM-U 2.0, including central share of ₹36,465 for the period 2021-22 to 2025-26which is over 2.5 times the financial outlay of ₹62,009 crores in the last phase of the Mission.