National scheme sanctioning committee approves annual implementation plan for SBM-G phase II

NEW DELHI: A sixth meeting of the National Scheme Sanctioning Committee (NSSC) of Swachh Bharat Mission Grameen (SBM-G) Phase II was organised in New Delhi to review Annual Implementation Plans (AIPs) for each of the States and Union Territories for the year 2025-26.

The virtual meeting was presided over by Ashok Kumar Meena, Secretary, Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation (DDWS), Ministry of Jal Shakti. Addressing the occasion, the Secretary congratulated the National SBM-G team, supporting ministries and departments, and the State and UT teams for reaching 76 per cent ODF Plus Model villages as of March 2025.

Emphasising the milestone achieved through SBM-G, the Secretary appreciated the 2024-25 progress due to the joint efforts of all stakeholders.

He underscored the significant contribution of local communities, partners, and networks of women’s Self-Help Groups (SHGs) towards

mobilising the initiative at the grassroots level.

He also highlighted the role of the State Water and Sanitation Mission (SWSM) and District Water & Sanitation Mission (DWSM) in ensuring programme implementation, convergence, and sustainability activities at the state level.

Presenting three essential principles for sanitation efforts this year, the secretary added that all liquid and solid waste collected in rural regions must be processed as near the source as possible.

He underlined the requirement for a comprehensive strategy towards managing solid waste, liquid waste, faecal sludge management (FSM), and plastic waste, along with continuous ODF status. He also reaffirmed the mission’s objective to have 100 per cent ODF Plus Model villages in the country by March 2025.

The secretary emphasised the need for SBM-G to be in close convergence with Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) to further consolidate the WASH agenda to maintain synergy with health sector efforts.

He also emphasised the need for the verification process of more than 50 per cent of the villages in the last

year of implementation of SBM-G Phase II.

At the meeting, Joint Secretary and Mission Director SBM-G Jitendra Srivastava gave an overview of SBM-G Phase II accomplishments and projected the physical and financial goals for 2025-26.