Swachh Bharat Mission

Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM)

Launched: October 2, 2014
By: Prime Minister Narendra Modi
Aim: To promote cleanliness, eliminate open defecation, and provide access to toilets for all households in India.

🔹 Vision and Objective

The core objective of SBM is to create a “Clean India” (Swachh Bharat) by:

  • Eliminating open defecation

  • Eradicating manual scavenging

  • Promoting scientific solid and liquid waste management

  • Bringing about behavioral change in people regarding sanitation

  • Encouraging community participation

  • Ensuring every household has access to a toilet

🔹 Two Major Components

1. Swachh Bharat Mission – Gramin (SBM-G)

  • Focus: Rural India

  • Implemented by the Ministry of Jal Shakti

  • Goals:

    • Construct toilets in every rural household

    • Promote hygiene education

    • Involve Gram Panchayats and village-level committees

    • Make all villages Open Defecation Free (ODF)

2. Swachh Bharat Mission – Urban (SBM-U)

  • Focus: Urban areas

  • Implemented by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs

  • Goals:

    • Build individual household toilets, community toilets, and public toilets

    • Modernize solid waste management (door-to-door garbage collection, segregation, recycling)

    • Promote clean streets, urban sanitation, and drainage systems

🔹 Key Achievements (as of SBM Phase 1: 2014–2019)

  • Over 10 crore toilets built across India

  • More than 6 lakh villages declared ODF

  • Urban local bodies significantly improved waste collection

  • Improved public health outcomes (e.g., reduced diarrhea and waterborne diseases)

🔹 Swachh Bharat Mission – Phase II (2020–2025)

  • Focus shifted to ODF Plus, which includes:

    • Sustaining ODF status

    • Solid and liquid waste management (SLWM)

    • Safe disposal of fecal sludge and biodegradable/non-biodegradable waste

    • Promoting self-sustaining sanitation infrastructure

🔹 Impact

  • Significant improvement in rural sanitation coverage

  • Increased awareness and behavioral change

  • Boost to women’s dignity and safety due to access to household toilets

  • Contribution to better health, environment, and tourism

🔹 Challenges

  • Ensuring quality and durability of toilets

  • Maintaining cleanliness and usage

  • Changing deep-rooted social habits around open defecation

  • Building long-term waste management systems

🔹 Conclusion

The Swachh Bharat Mission is a landmark national campaign that goes beyond building toilets—it strives to transform sanitation behavior, community health, and urban-rural hygiene standards. It reflects India’s collective movement towards a cleaner, healthier, and more dignified way of life.

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