New Delhi:The nationwide cleanliness drive under ‘Swachh Bharat Mission’- with a focus on sustainability- will continue till 2025-26, the Union Cabinet has decided.”The mission will focus on sustainability of Open Defecation Free (ODF) outcomes, achieving scientific processing of Solid Waste in all cities, and managing Wastewater in cities with less than 1 lakh population in Census 2011 [cities not covered under Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT)] under which all cities will be made to achieve at least 3-star garbage free certification,” said a statement on Tuesday.Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved the decision.A financial outlay of Rs 1,41,600 crore has been finalized for SBM-U 2.0, including central share of Rs 36,465 for the period 2021-22 to 2025-26 which is over 2.5 times the financial outlay of Rs 62,009 crores in the last phase of the Mission, the statement added.The implementation of the Mission components will be done in a structured and time-bound manner, with a thorough gap analysis of required infrastructure, detailed 5-year action plans, and annual action plans with timelines.”The Mission will focus on ensuring complete access to sanitation facilities to serve additional population migrating from rural to urban areas in search of employment and better opportunities over the next five years. This will be done through the construction of over 3.5 lakh individual, community and public toilets,” the official communique mentioned under ‘sustainable sanitation’.The second point is to ensure complete liquid waste management in cities in less than 1 lakh population – a new component introduced under the mission will ensure that systems and processes are set up in every city so that all wastewater is safely contained, collected, transported and treated and no wastewater pollutes our water bodies.Under sustainble solid waste management: 100 per cent source segregation of waste along with functional Material Recovery Facilities (MRFs) in every city, with a focus on phasing out single-use plastic.”Setting up of construction and demolition (C&D) waste processing facilities and deployment of mechanical sweepers in National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) cities and in cities with more than five lakh population,” the release mentioned, adding, “Remediation of all legacy dumpsites, so that 14,000 acres of locked up land lying under 15 crore tonnes of legacy waste are freed up.”
