Cleanliness Survey For Villages Across India To Be Launched On September 9

New Delhi: The Swachh Survekshan Grameen, 2021, a survey of cleanliness, hygiene and sanitation to boost the government’s push for Open Defecation Free (ODF) Plus status for villages, will be launched on Thursday (September 9), the Jal Shakti Ministry said. According to an official, the programme will be launched by Union Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and his deputy Prahlad Singh Patel.

Also Read: Jal Shakti Ministry Launches 100-Day Campaign To Create More Open Defecation Free (ODF) Plus Villages

An expert agency has been hired to carry out the Swachh Survekshan Grameen, 2021, which will be launched under the phase two of the Swachh Bharat Mission. The Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation had commissioned the ‘Swachh Survekshan Grameen’ in 2018 and 2019.

The ministry said 17,475 villages in 698 districts of the country will be covered by the Swachh Survekshan Grameen. Around 87,250 public places, such as schools, anganwadi centres, public health centres, markets, religious places will be visited for the survey, it said. Around 1,74,750 households will be interviewed for their feedback on Swachh Bharat Mission-related issues. Citizens will be mobilised to provide feedback online on sanitation issues.

Swachh Survekshan Grameen, 2021, will be launched under the Swachh Bharat Mission Phase-two on September 9. As part of the ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’, Swachh Survekshan Grameen aims to support the acceleration of ODF-plus interventions and results in the country, the ministry said in a statement on Wednesday.

ODF-plus is aimed at ensuring solid and liquid waste management. This includes ensuring all households, schools, panchayat buildings and anganwadi centres in a village have access to toilets and that all public places and at least 80 per cent of households effectively manage their solid and liquid waste with minimal litter and minimal stagnant water.

For the Swachh Survekshan Grameen survey, 30 per cent weightage will be given for direct observation of sanitation at public places, 35 per cent for citizen’s feedback, including feedback from common citizens, key influencers at the village level, and 35 per cent for service level progress on sanitation-related parameters. A detailed protocol has been developed to guide the ranking of districts based on their performance on key quality and quantitative parameters, the ministry said.

Also Read: Parameswaran Iyer From World Bank Shares The ‘ABCDEF’ Of Swachh Bharat Abhiyan And India’s ODF Journey

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

NDTV – Dettol Banega Swasth India campaign is an extension of the five-year-old Banega Swachh India initiative helmed by Campaign Ambassador Amitabh Bachchan. It aims to spread awareness about critical health issues facing the country. In wake of the current COVID-19 pandemic, the need for WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) is reaffirmed as handwashing is one of the ways to prevent Coronavirus infection and other diseases. The campaign highlights the importance of nutrition and healthcare for women and children to prevent maternal and child mortality, fight malnutrition, stunting, wasting, anaemia and disease prevention through vaccines. Importance of programmes like Public Distribution System (PDS), Mid-day Meal Scheme, POSHAN Abhiyan and the role of Aganwadis and ASHA workers are also covered. Only a Swachh or clean India where toilets are used and open defecation free (ODF) status achieved as part of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2014, can eradicate diseases like diahorrea and become a Swasth or healthy India. The campaign will continue to cover issues like air pollution, waste management, plastic ban, manual scavenging and sanitation workers and menstrual hygiene.