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Swachh Bharat Mission, also known as Swachh Bharat Abhiyan (Clean India Campaign), is a nationwide initiative launched by the Government of India. It aims to clean streets, roads, and public infrastructure across 4,041 statutory towns.

The campaign was inaugurated on October 2, 2014, at Rajghat in New Delhi, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi took part by sweeping a road with a broom. As the largest cleanliness drive ever conducted in India, it saw participation from around 3 million government employees, as well as students from schools and colleges.

The mission follows a unique chain nomination model, where each of the nine personalities initially chosen by Narendra Modi was encouraged to nominate nine more individuals, creating a continuous cycle of involvement. Over time, the campaign has attracted people from various fields, gaining widespread support and participation.

Over the years, the mission has expanded with Swachh Bharat Mission 2.0, focusing on sustainability and better infrastructure.

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Swachh Bharat Mission Explained

The Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) was initiated in 2014 with the goal of making India open defecation free (ODF) within five years. This effort aligned with Sustainable Development Goal 6.2, which focuses on ensuring safe and equal access to sanitation for everyone, particularly women and girls.

By emphasizing community involvement, the campaign led to the construction of over 100 million household toilets by 2019, positively impacting around 500 million people in 630,000 villages. The success of SBM has inspired similar initiatives in other countries, including Nigeria, Indonesia, and Ethiopia, and has shaped the design of national campaigns.

Since 2020, the mission has entered its second phase, with a focus on sustaining and expanding sanitation efforts across the entire cycle.

 The mission had two key components:

1. Swachh Bharat Mission Gramin (Rural areas)
2. Swachh Bharat Mission Urban (Cities and towns)

By 2019, the government declared India ODF, meaning toilets were built for all households. However, the work didn’t stop there. Swachh Bharat Mission 2.0 was introduced to ensure long-term cleanliness and better waste management.

Swachh Bharat Mission Ministry

The question Swachh Bharat Mission under which ministry is often asked and answer to it iss that Swachh Bharat Mission (Gramin) is a sanitation programme implemented by the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation (now Ministry of Jal Shakti).

The urban component of the mission – Swachh Bharat Mission (Urban) is being driven by the Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs (MoHUA), and has the following broad objectives: All statutory towns in Urban India to become Open Defecation Free (ODF)

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Swachh Bharat Mission Gramin

The Swachh Bharat Mission Gramin targeted rural sanitation. Before 2014, many villages lacked toilets, forcing people to defecate in the open. This led to health risks like diarrhea and infections.

Key Achievements:

• Over 100 million toilets were built in rural areas.
• Villages were encouraged to become ODF (Open Defecation Free).
• Behavioral change programs educated people on hygiene.

With Swachh Bharat Mission 2.0, the focus shifted to sustainability. The new phase ensures:

• Proper maintenance of toilets.
• Waste management systems in villages.
• ODF+ and ODF++ certifications for higher sanitation standards.

Swachh Bharat Mission Urban

Cities face different challenges—garbage collection, plastic waste, and sewage treatment. The Swachh Bharat Mission Urban worked on:

• Building public and community toilets.
• Setting up waste segregation and recycling plants.
• Encouraging citizens to reduce, reuse, and recycle.

Key Programs Under SBM Urban:

• Door-to-door garbage collection in most cities.
• Waste-to-energy plants to manage landfill waste.
• Swachh Survekshan – An annual ranking of India’s cleanest cities.

Swachh Bharat Mission Objectives

Swachh Bharat Mission has clear Objectives:

1. Eliminate open defecation by building toilets.
2. Improve solid waste management in cities and villages.
3. Create awareness about hygiene and sanitation.
4. Ensure long-term sustainability with Swachh Bharat Mission 2.0.

By 2019, India was declared ODF, but the next challenge was maintaining cleanliness. This led to ODF+ and ODF++ standards.

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Swachh Bharat Mission: ODF+ and ODF++?

After achieving ODF (Open Defecation Free), the government introduced higher standards:

ODF+ Status

• Ensures toilets are functional and well-maintained.
• Focuses on proper waste disposal and cleanliness.

ODF++ Status

• Adds sewage and sludge management.
• Requires advanced waste treatment systems.

These standards ensure that India doesn’t just build toilets but also keeps them clean and sustainable.

Swachh Survekshan 2024

Swachh Survekshan is India’s annual cleanliness survey. It ranks cities and states based on:

• Waste management
• Citizen feedback
• Toilet availability and maintenance

Swachh Survekshan 2024 will continue this tradition, encouraging cities to compete for the cleanest city title. Past winners include Indore, Surat, and Navi Mumbai.

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Swachh Bharat Mission Implementation Strategy

1) Financial Support and Local Ownership:

• The Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) was jointly funded by the central and state governments, fostering local ownership of outcomes.
• Key development partners also provided support.
• States were given the flexibility to decide how to decentralize funding to the household level.

2) Social and Behavior Change Initiatives:

• A dedicated portion of the budget was allocated for social and behavior change campaigns and IEC (information, education, and communication) materials.
• The focus was on:
  • Building intention and modeling positive behavior.
  • Community-level peer monitoring and support.
  • Consistent exposure to messages through the media.
• These efforts aimed to promote sustained toilet use and hygiene practices.

3) Sanitation as a Shared Responsibility:

• SBM emphasized making sanitation a collective effort, involving all ministries regardless of their primary mandate.
• Each ministry developed annual work plans to integrate sanitation into their sectors.
• This approach ensured adequate toilet construction in:
  • Schools and pre-school centers (including separate toilets for boys and girls with privacy measures).
  • Healthcare facilities.
  • Government and private sector buildings.
  • Farms and other public spaces.

4) Over 600,000 community volunteers, called swachhgrahis, were mobilized.

• Volunteers received training on:
  • The importance of safe sanitation.
  • Disseminating key messages within their communities.
  • Monitoring progress using mobile devices.
  • Organizing campaigns involving households, schools, healthcare centers, government offices, and more.

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Swachh Bharat Mission Successes

1. Toilet Access and Coverage:

• SBM provided access to toilets for 100 million rural households, benefiting 500 million residents across 630,000 villages.

2. Economic Benefits:

• Households in open defecation-free (ODF) villages saved up to INR 50,000 annually.
• Total benefits for these households were 4.7 times greater than the costs (UNICEF, 2018).
• Savings resulted from:
  • Reduced illness and healthcare expenses.
  • Time saved from not having to travel or wait for treatment.

3. Environmental Benefits:

• Soil and groundwater contamination was significantly lower in ODF villages compared to non-ODF villages (UNICEF, 2019).

4. Employment Generation:

• SBM created the equivalent of 7.5 million full-time jobs.

5. Broader Impacts:

• Sanitation access positively influenced other Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including environmental protection and improved opportunities for vulnerable populations.
• Challenges related to coercion were addressed through corrective government actions.

Swachh Bharat Mission 2.0: The Future

The first phase of Swachh Bharat Mission was about building infrastructure. Now, Swachh Bharat Mission 2.0 focuses on:

• Better waste processing (composting, recycling).
• Reducing plastic pollution.
• Making cities and villages garbage-free.

The mission is no longer just about toilets—it’s about sustainable cleanliness.

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The Swachh Bharat Mission has transformed India’s sanitation landscape. From making India ODF to pushing for ODF+ and ODF++, the mission keeps evolving. With Swachh Survekshan 2024 driving competition and Swachh Bharat Mission 2.0 ensuring sustainability, India is moving closer to a cleaner, healthier future.

Every citizen’s participation is crucial. By keeping our surroundings clean, we contribute to a Swachh Bharat.

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