About Swachh Bharat Mission-Grameen (SBM-G)
- Launched: 2 October 2014
- Objective: Make rural India Open Defecation Free (ODF) by providing access to toilets and promoting behavioural change
- Baseline: Rural sanitation coverage was only ~39% in 2014
- Milestone: Rural India declared ODF in 2019
Phase I (2014–2019): Achieving ODF Status
Focus: Eliminating open defecation and achieving universal sanitation coverage in rural areas.
Key Achievements:
- Over 100 million (10 crore) individual household toilets constructed
- More than 6 lakh villages declared ODF by October 2019
- Contributed to achieving SDG Target 6.2 (sanitation and hygiene)
- Improved health, safety and dignity, particularly for women
- Reduced environmental contamination associated with open defecation
Phase II (2020–21 to 2025–26): ODF Plus
After achieving ODF status, the focus shifted from toilet construction to sustaining ODF outcomes and comprehensive sanitation.
Key Objectives
- Sustaining ODF Status: Prevent slippage into open defecation; ensure continued toilet usage and maintenance
- Solid Waste Management: Household waste collection, segregation, processing and disposal, including plastic waste
- Liquid Waste Management: Management of greywater through drainage and wastewater-management systems
- Visual Cleanliness: Minimal litter, stagnant wastewater and plastic waste dumps in public places
ODF Plus Categories
| Category | Criteria |
|---|---|
| Aspiring | Sustaining ODF status + arrangement for either solid OR liquid waste management |
| Rising | Sustaining ODF status + arrangements for BOTH solid and liquid waste management |
| Model | Sustaining ODF + both waste-management systems + visual cleanliness + ODF Plus IEC messages |
GOBARdhan (Galvanizing Organic Bio-Agro Resources Dhan)
- Flagship umbrella initiative under SBM-G Phase II
- Converts cattle dung, agricultural crop residue and organic waste into biogas, compressed bio-gas (CBG) and organic manure/bio-slurry
- Embodies the waste-to-wealth circular economy approach supporting rural livelihoods
Significance of SBM-G
- Behaviour Change Communication (BCC): Shift from mere toilet construction to sustained sanitation behaviour — safe toilet usage, handwashing, safe water storage, waste segregation and composting
- Women as Sanitation Change Agents: Active participation through Swachhagrahis and Self-Help Groups (SHGs) in awareness campaigns and waste management
- Role of Schools: Centres for developing sanitation habits among children, carrying hygiene practices to families and communities
- Community Institutions and Local Governance: Gram Panchayats and Village Water and Sanitation Committees (VWSCs) provide village planning, waste management, IEC activities and community mobilisation
- Jan Bhagidari: Cleanliness as a people-led movement through initiatives like Swachhata Hi Seva (SHS)
- Sanitation and Livelihood Generation: New opportunities in waste collection, recycling, composting and maintenance services; growth of women-led enterprises
- Waste-to-Wealth through Circular Economy: GOBARdhan converts organic waste into energy and manure
- Sustainable Sanitation through Resource Recovery: Greywater treatment contributes to water conservation, groundwater recharge and irrigation support
Concerns and Way Forward
| Concerns | Measures Needed |
|---|---|
| Sustaining ODF and hygiene; preventing slippage | Strengthen BCC through Swachhagrahis, SHGs, schools and community participation |
| Gaps in solid and plastic waste management | Decentralised village-level collection, segregation, recycling, composting and scientific disposal |
| Poor greywater/liquid waste management | Drainage, treatment, reuse, water conservation and groundwater recharge |
| Weak local institutional capacity | Empower Gram Panchayats with technical, financial and managerial capacity |
| Limited livelihood opportunities; waste underutilised | Expand GOBARdhan, recycling, composting, waste-to-energy; promote women-led enterprises and SHGs |
| Need for community ownership | Deepen Jan Bhagidari via Swachhata Hi Seva involving citizens, SHGs, youth and schools |
Conclusion
India's sanitation journey has progressed through three stages: Access → Usage → Sustainability. SBM-G has transformed sanitation from a government infrastructure programme into a people-led movement based on behavioural change, community ownership and sustainable waste management.
UPSC Previous Year Questions (PYQs)
- 2017: "To ensure effective implementation of policies addressing the water, sanitation and hygiene needs the identification of the beneficiary segments is to be synchronized with anticipated outcomes." Examine in the context of the WASH scheme.
- 2016: How could social influence and persuasion contribute to the success of Swachh Bharat Abhiyan?
- 2021: What are the impediments in disposing the huge quantities of discarded solid waste which are continuously being generated? How do we remove safely the toxic wastes that have been accumulating in our habitable environment?