Proper hygiene is key to the optimum health and well-being of individuals, and cleanliness is central to hygiene whether we talk about roads, slums, fancy outskirts of the cities and last but most crucial public toilets, especially in Gramin or Rural Areas. However, to tackle this problem, the government of India recently added a Swachh Bharat Mission Gramin toilet online application under its SBM facilities.

One can find this facility, under the Swacch Bharat Mission Toilet List or find the relevant details on the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan Toilet Online. Thus, to ensure cleanliness in India, the Government of India has initiated the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan on the 2nd of October, 2014 on the occasion of the birthday of Mahatma Gandhi. The father of the nation also used to say that cleanliness or Swachata was next to God and was fundamental in leading a healthy life.

What Is Swachh Bharat Mission/Abhiyan?

The Swachh Bharat Abhiyan will bring cleanliness to India's rural and urban zones. The urban part of the mission is under the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs while the rural part is under the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation.

What Is Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban?

Launched for only the urban areas of India, the Swachh Bharat Mission (SMB)- Urban aims to make urban India clean and hygienic by eradicating the practice of open defecation.

Overview

Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) envisages the elimination of open defecation; replacement of poor quality toilets; proper management of solid waste; and promotion of healthy sanitation practises in urban India.

Key Goals

• Coverage: Proposed for 1,04,000 households with a focus on 2,50,000 community toilets and 2,60,000 public toilets.

• Implementation: The programme will be implemented over five years in 4401 individual towns.

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Financial Assistance

1. Individual Toilets:

• Some of the provisions include where the Central Government provides ₹4,000.

• Every state for general category ₹1000/- and for northeastern states ₹ 400/- minimum by the state government.

2. Community Toilets:

• Central Government bears up to 40 % of expenditure (approximately Rs six thousand five hundred only per toilet).

• Besides, states also give an additional 13.33 per cent (4 per cent for the North Eastern states).

Budget

• The overall cost estimate for this mission is ₹60,209 crore for which the central share is ₹14,623 crore, for various activities including SWM and Public Awareness.

Swachh Bharat Mission for Urban Areas 2.0

Goals

• Ensuring the cities are “Garbage Free” and proper & comprehensive wastewater management.

• The tests should be made to certify towns ODF+ (Open Defecation Free Plus and ODF++ for towns with less than 1 lakh population).

• On environmental provision, the emphasis should be on handling of solid wastes, recycling and rehabilitation of old dump sites.

Budget

• That is why, at least ₹1,41,200 crore has been proposed for the implementation of SBM-U 2.0 for 2021-2026.

Expected Outcomes

• All the towns achieve the ODF+ certification.

• As of today, 50 per cent of the town with a population less than 1 lakh population has Water certification.

• Every single town is awarded a minimum Garbage Free 3-star rating.

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What Is Swachh Bharat Mission- Gramin?

Swachh Bharat Mission-Gramin (SBM-G) is a program by the Indian government to promote cleanliness in rural areas, focusing on ending open defecation and improving sanitation.

Phase I: Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan

Initiated on 2nd October 2014, OFBaS Phase I aimed to focus on making rural India clean and ODF in the next 5 years. It sought to build toilets for some BPL and a few APL families for which ₹12,000 per toilet was planned to be spent.

• Success: On October 2, 2019, all districts across India declared themselves Open defecation-free, thereby achieving an important milestone in sanitation.

Phase II

The second phase was sanctioned in February 2020 for ₹1,40,881 crore; this phase aims to maintain ODF status and strengthen Rural Waste Management. It focuses on the coordinated implementation of several government-initiated programmes to improve cleanliness.

How To Register Under Swachh Bharat Abhiyan?

Here’s how you can register for the Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) online

1. Visit the Swachh Bharat Mission portal.

2. Fill out the online application form.

3. Upload these documents:

• A scanned photo of yourself.

• Your bank account details.

• A scanned copy of the first page of your bank passbook.

• If you don't have an Aadhaar number, upload your Aadhaar enrollment slip.

How To Apply For Toilet Under Swachh Bharat Mission Gramin?

Here's how you can apply for a toilet under the Swachh Bharat Mission Gramin (SBM-G):

Apply Online: Fill out the Individual Household Latrine (IHHL) form online.

Apply Offline: Visit your Block Development Office or Chief Development Office at Vikas Bhawan.

Documents needed for online application:

• A scanned photo of yourself.

• Your bank account details.

• A scanned copy of the first page of your bank passbook.

• If you don't have an Aadhaar number, a copy of your Aadhaar Enrollment Slip.

SBM-G provides subsidies to rural poor households to help them build toilets. These toilets can be built by the beneficiaries or with the help of community agencies in the village.

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How To Check Swachh Bharat Online Toilet Status Online?

The following points showcase, how you can check the status of your Individual Household Latrine (IHHL) application for the Swachh Bharat Mission:

Using the UMANG app:

• UMANG for Android and UMANG for iOS

• Check the status under the Swachh Bharat Mission service.

• To update or download the app, give a missed call to 97183-97183.

Using the Web portal:

• Check the status of your request or grievance on the eMigrate web portal.

• You can also track the final status and actions taken by the department.

What Are The Objectives Of The Swachh Bharat Mission Abhiyan?

The main goal is to make India open defecation-free and improve hygiene by building toilets and spreading awareness about cleanliness.

The main objectives of the Swachh Bharat Mission are:

• The second big step is in ending open defecation through the use of latrines.

• The improvement of low-standard toilets to pour-flush toilets.

• Proper handling of solid waste through the application of certain procedures.

• The elimination of manual scavenging, and providing better toilets.

• Conscientization to provoke behavioural changes in sanitation practises.

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What Are The Features Of The Swachh Bharat Mission?

Key features include constructing toilets in rural areas, promoting sanitation practices, and providing financial aid to poor households for toilet construction.

Below mentioned points showcase the salient features of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan:-

Urban Focus:

• The five objectives of the SBM include the overall provision of a clean and hygienic environment in cities to eliminate the vice of open defecation.

• It has an aim of providing sanitation to 1.04 crore households and constructing 2.5 lakh community toilets and 2.6 lakh public toilets.

• The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy is the division acting within the rural area of the mission, while the urban part falls under the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.

Financial Assistance:

• For individual toilets, ₹4,000 is provided by the Central Government; states provide ₹ 1,000 (not less than ₹400 for northeastern states).

• For community toilets, the Central Government bears up to 40% cost and state and local bodies the remaining 60% of the cost.

What Are The Benefits Of The Swachh Bharat Mission?

It helps improve public health, reduces disease, promotes cleanliness, and ensures dignity, especially for women in rural areas.

The following points deal with the benefits of clean India (Swacch Bharat Abhiyan):

• Improved Health and Hygiene: They minimised diseases that would result from environmental inspection in residential areas that had poor standards of hygiene.

• Enhanced Public Sanitation Infrastructure: Improved establishment and usage of toilets and efficient disposal of human waste in the rural & urban areas.

• Social Awareness: The mission is to bring about a change in behaviour towards cleanliness and sanitation and make India a clean India or Swachh Bharat.

• Economic Development: The cleaning-up process has two immediate effects: it increases tourism and employment in the country.

What Is The Swachh Vidyalaya Abhiyan?

The Ministry of Education under the Swachh Bharat Mission initiated Swachh Vidyalaya Abhiyan to make each school in India have functional separated toilets for boys and girls. This programme is sponsored financially by the Education for All (EFA) and Secondary Education Project (SEP).

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What Are The Challenges Of The Swachh Bharat Mission?

Challenges include maintaining the toilets, changing people's mindset towards cleanliness, and ensuring long-term sanitation practices.

Despite its successes, the mission faces several challenges:

• Changing old habits: Habitual cultural and behavioural patterns are not easy to change, where sanitation is an area of concern in the organisation.

• Sustaining facilities: Maintenance of the sanitation infrastructure as well as continued promotion of good practices is not an easy task.

• Waste management: Now and then, there emerge some problems touching on the proper disposal of solid waste and treatment of wastewater in cities.

• Reaching everyone: It is also relevant to address sanitation facility access and awareness of programmes in remote and marginalised areas.

What Is The Progress And Impact Of The Swachh Bharat Abhiyan?

Since it started, the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan has made great strides in improving cleanliness across India. Many toilets have been built, and numerous villages, cities, and districts have been declared open defecation-free. The campaign has also raised awareness about the importance of hygiene and cleanliness.

What Is The Rashtriya Swachhta Kosh?

Swachh Bharat Kosh was opened for public and corporate contribution within CSR towards Swachh Bharat Mission. This fund is applied to cleaning rural and urban areas, schools inclusive. To increase the chances of the donors giving their contributions, tax incentives may be Provided.

Conclusion

The Swachh Bharat Mission is a revolutionary programme which has been launched to transform the Indian environment through cleanliness in the manner of sanitation, waste disposal and hygiene in both rural and urban modes. Through the public, government, and private sectors, this mission has a clear possibility of changing the health and well-being of this country once and for all. Stand up for change and be part of the campaign that will spread Swachh Bharat in India.

You can visit the official Swachh Bharat Mission website for more information. For any request or to share your opinions, visit the Community Page of Jaagruk Bharat.