Swachh Bharat campaign to focus on complete sanitation, waste management

With the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan marking its 10th anniversary, the government is now planning to expand its efforts, focusing not only on eliminating open defecation but also on more comprehensive sanitation and waste management strategies, a senior official has said. The Swachh Bharat Abhiyan is a country-wide campaign initiated by the government in 2014 to eliminate open defecation and improve solid waste management and to create open defecation free villages. Asked about the road ahead, Vini Mahajan, Secretary, Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation, Ministry of Jal Shakti, said they are now planning to expand its efforts. "Sanitation began as a journey to free the country from open defecation, recognising that this practice was a significant curse we needed to eliminate. While progress has been made, there is still an ongoing need to identify families who lack toilets and ensure they receive them. It's equally important to keep existing toilets functional," the official ...