Union Minister of Jal Shakti, Shri C.R. Patil on 10 December 2024 reviewed the progress of Swachh Bharat Mission Grameen in the states of Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. The objective was to review the sustainable sanitation outcomes of the states, to discuss the challenges faced in these states in rural sanitation. State ministers, mission directors, and key officials attended the session, which emphasized the importance of sanitation as a behavioral mission necessary for health and dignity in rural communities.
Shri Patil emphasized that sanitation transcends infrastructure development and is a collective behavioral endeavor that impacts rural health and well-being. He highlighted the need for each state and union territory to chart its unique course while working toward the shared vision of a cleaner and healthier India. Stressing community involvement, he described sanitation as “a movement of the people, by the people, and for the people.”
The review meeting represented outstanding achievements across the four states. Madhya Pradesh was spearheading the progress with a 99% achievement toward ODF Plus status and reaching 95% ODF Plus Model status. The state has led innovative plastic waste management initiatives, such as its MoUs with organizations, including the RRDA Bhopal. Uttar Pradesh reported 98% of its villages as ODF Plus, with significant advancements in training over one lakh personnel to support SBM-G objectives. The state has also developed plastic waste management models, including waste-to-energy projects and kabadiwala linkages.
In Bihar, 92% of villages have been declared ODF Plus. In grey water management, it stands at 91%, and in solid waste management, at 80%. Now, the focus is on improving the outcomes by tackling underperforming districts in the state. Punjab has a coverage of 98% villages declared ODF Plus, with 87% villages having saturated grey water management systems, and it continues to strive for improving solid waste management practices.
Shri Patil outlined several critical priorities for the states, which include robust monitoring mechanisms to verify and sustain ODF Plus Model villages, bridging gaps in solid and grey water management, and enhancing the functionality of community sanitation complexes. He also urged states to innovate in plastic waste management by partnering with recyclers and leveraging Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) frameworks. Another focus was on promoting sustained behavior change through targeted IEC campaigns with a special emphasis on consistent toilet use and waste segregation.
The Minister called upon the areas to enhance community-led efforts, especially involving women’s self-help groups, local leaders, and private enterprise. He reasserted that Swachh Bharat Mission Grameen is central to rural transformation, which extends beyond infrastructure development to the overall goals of Sampoorna Swachhata, or comprehensive cleanliness. Integrating sanitation, waste management, water conservation, and community well-being makes the mission aligned with the global objectives of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals 6 on clean water and sanitation and SDG 3 on good health and well-being.
This mission is not just about building toilets or meeting targets; it’s about creating ecosystems of health, dignity, and self-reliance,” Shri Patil said, thus concluding the session. This is a commitment from the part of the government to moving forward with rural sanitation empowerment of communities to make every single village a model of cleanliness, resilience, and sustainable development.