Telangana scoops Swachh Survekshan Gramin, 2022 award

Context

Telangana won the first prize under the Large States category under Swachh Survekshan Gramin (SSG) 2022.

Background

Highlights of the awards:

Haryana secured the second position while Tamil Nadu was third.
The top three districts of India are Bhiwani (Haryana), Jagtial (Telangana), and Nizamabad (Telangana) respectively.
In this award, special focus is being given to accelerate development in rural areas along with uplifting their lifestyle.
Among the smaller States and Union territories, Andaman and Nicobar secured the first position followed by Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu, and Sikkim.

Indore bagged the title of India’s cleanest city for the sixth time in a row as the results of the Central government’s annual cleanliness survey ‘Swachh Survekshan Awards 2022’ were announced on Saturday. Madhya Pradesh secured the first position in the category of best performing states, followed by Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra.

Swachh Survekshan Gramin-2022 award:

The Swachh Survekshan Gramin award by the jal shakti ministry ranks states and districts on the basis of their performance attained on key quantitative and qualitative Swachh Bharat Mission Gramin (SBM-G) parameters.
It also factors in the engagement of the rural community in the improvement of their sanitation status.
Swachh Bharat Diwas is not a single event but a culmination of several activities/campaigns for the components of SBM-G phase II. The following activities were conducted as a run-up to the event:

1. Swachhta Hi Sewa (SHS) – is a fortnightly campaign undertaken by the public offering “shramdaan” for sustaining cleanliness in the country.
2. United India for Swachhata – is a dedicated week-long intensified campaign for complete cleanliness – ‘sampoorna swachhta’ in 9 states across the country.

What is Swachh Bharat Mission Grameen (SBM-G)?

It was launched in 2014 by the Ministry of Jal Shakti to accelerate the efforts to achieve universal sanitation coverage and to put focus on sanitation.
The mission was implemented as a nationwide campaign/Janandolan which aimed at eliminating open defecation in rural areas.

Swachh Bharat Mission (G) Phase-I:

The rural sanitation coverage in the country at the time of the launch of SBM (G) on 2nd October 2014 was reported as 38.7%.
More than 10 crore individual toilets have been constructed since the launch of the mission, as a result, rural areas in all the States have declared themselves ODF as of 2nd October 2019.

SBM(G) Phase-II:

It emphasizes the sustainability of achievements under phase I and provides adequate facilities for Solid/Liquid & Plastic Waste Management (SLWM) in rural India.
It will be implemented from 2020-21 to 2024-25 in a mission mode with a total outlay of Rs. 1,40,881 crores.
The SLWM component of ODF Plus will be monitored on the basis of output-outcome indicators for 4 key areas:

1. Plastic waste management,
2. Biodegradable solid waste management (including animal waste management),
3. Greywater (Household Wastewater) management
4. Fecal sludge management.

What is Open Defecation Free Status?

ODF: An area can be notified or declared as ODF if at any point of the day, not even a single person is found defecating in the open.
ODF+: This status is given if at any point of the day, not a single person is found defecating and/or urinating in the open, and all community and public toilets are functional and well maintained.
ODF++: This status is given if the area is already ODF+ and the fecal sludge/septage and sewage are safely managed and treated, with no discharging or dumping of untreated fecal sludge and sewage into the open drains, water bodies, or areas.