Swachh Bharat second phase launched; flagship scheme aims to make cities free of garbage, ensure safe water

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday launched the second phase of the Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban and the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation, asserting that these missions were aimed at making cities garbage free and water secure. Under the new phase, it will be ensured that no untreated drain waste is discharged into any river of the country, Modi said after launching SBM-U 2.0 and AMRUT 2.0 at the Ambedkar International Centre in Delhi. He said that the new phases of these missions are also an important step in fulfilling dreams of BR Ambedkar. “It’s our privilege that today’s programme has been organised at the BR Ambedkar Centre. Babasaheb believed that urban development was pivotal to removing inequality,” he said. Noting that many people from villages come to cities with the aspiration of a better life, he said they get employment but their living standard is often worse than in villages. This is like a double whammy as they are away from home, and stay in such a situation, Modi said adding that Babasaheb’s great emphasis was on changing this situation. India is processing about one lakh tonne of waste every day, he said, asserting that garbage mountains in cities will be processed and removed completely under the new phases of the two missions. The prime minister said that in 2014, people took a pledge to make India open defecation free and they fulfilled this pledge with the construction of more than 10 crore toilets. Now, the goal of SBM-Urban 2.0 is to make the cities completely free of garbage, he said and underlined the scope of the country’s target in the next phase of AMRUT as “improving sewage and septic management, making our cities water safe cities and ensuring that no sewage drains anywhere in our rivers”. Modi noted that the young generation has taken the initiative to strengthen the cleanliness campaign. “Toffee wrappers are no longer thrown on the ground, but kept in pockets. Small children now urge the elders not to litter,” he said. “We have to remember that maintaining cleanliness is not just for a day, a fortnight, a year or for a few people, it is a mega campaign for every day, every fortnight, every year, for everyone and a continuous programme from one generation to another,” the prime minister said. The journey of Swachh Bharat Abhiyan and AMRUT Mission so far makes every countryman proud, he said, adding “In this, there is a mission, there is respect, there is dignity, there is also the ambition of a country and there is also unmatched love for the motherland.” He said that when the country started the campaign in 2014, less than 20 percent of the waste generated every day in the country was processed. He said that the country is processing about 70 percent of daily waste and we have to take it to 100 percent. He also talked about enhanced allocations for the Urban Development Ministry. He said in the preceding 7 years before 2014, the Ministry was given about 1.25 lakh crore rupees while in 7 years from 2014 almost 4 lakh crore rupees were allocated for the ministry. According to the government, the outlay of SBM-U 2.0 is around Rs 1.41 lakh crore. The use of modern technology is also continuously increasing for the development of cities in the country. The prime minister also mentioned recently-launched the National Automobile Scrappage Policy, and pointed out that this new scrapping policy strengthens the campaign of waste to wealth and a circular economy. Modi also referred to street vendors and hawkers as one of the most important partners of any city in the program related to urban development. He reiterated that PM Svanidhi Yojana has come as a new ray of hope for these people. “More than 46 lakh street vendors have come forward to avail benefits under Svanidhi scheme and 25 lakh people have received 2.5 thousand crore rupees,” he said. He also said that these vendors are promoting digital transactions and maintaining a very good record of paying back their loans. He expressed happiness that big states like Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh have taken the lead in implementing the scheme. In line with the vision of the prime minister, SBM-U 2.0 and AMRUT 2.0 have been designed to realise the aspiration to make all cities garbage free and water secure, according to the Prime Minister’’s Office (PMO). These missions signify a step forward in the march towards effectively addressing the challenges of rapidly urbanising India and will also help contribute towards achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals 2030, the PMO said. SBM-U 2.0 envisions to make all cities garbage free and ensure grey and black water management in all cities other than those covered under AMRUT, make all urban local bodies open defecation free+ and those with a population of less than one lakh as open defecation free++, thereby achieving the vision of safe sanitation in urban areas. The mission will focus on source segregation of solid waste, utilising the principles of 3Rs (reduce, reuse, recycle), scientific processing of all types of municipal solid waste and remediation of legacy dumpsites for effective solid waste management, the PMO said.