New Delhi: In a major push to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's pet "Swachh Bharat" project, Government on Wednesday gave its nod to the five-year-long programme to eliminate open defecation and construction of individual and community toilets across the country.
The Union Cabinet also approved setting up of Clean Ganga Fund with voluntary contributions from citizens, NRIs and Person of Indian Origin toward the conservation of the river Ganga.
The clean India campaign will now be called "Swachh Bharat" Mission. The urban component of the Mission is proposed to be implemented over 5 years starting from October 2, 2014 in all 4041 statutory towns. The total expected cost of the programme is Rs 62,009 crore, out of which the proposed central assistance will be of Rs 14,623 crore.
Seeking to create better synergy, the Cabinet also approved restructuring of the "Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan" (NBA) into "Swachh Bharat" Mission (rural). The urban component includes elimination of open defecation, conversion of insanitary toilets to pour flush toilets, eradication of manual scavenging, municipal solid waste management and bringing about a behavioural change in people regarding healthy sanitation practices.
The Programme consists of components for providing individual household toilets, community and public toilets and municipal solid waste management in all 4041 statutory towns. It would cover 1.04 crore households, provide 2.5 lakh seats of community toilets, 2.6 lakh seats of public toilets and solid waste management facility for all towns, Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said after the Cabinet meeting.
Community toilets will be proposed in residential areas, where it is difficult to construct individual household toilets, public toilets will be constructed in designated locations such as tourist places, markets, bus stations, near railway stations and places of public recreation wherever required.
The scheme will be part of a joint "Swachch Bharat" Mission to be implemented for rural areas by the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation and for urban areas by the Ministry of Urban Development.
Referring to the fund for cleaning Ganga, Prasad said the measures taken till now are inadequate and a national effort is required to mobilize resources for improving the condition of the river. The Government had announced the setting up of an Integrated Ganga Conservation Mission called "Namami Gange" at an initial sum of Rs 2,037 crore.
The Cabinet has now agreed to set up Clean Ganga Fund with voluntary contributions from residents of the country, NRIs and PIOs. The Fund will have the objective of contributing to the national effort of cleaning of the river Ganga. Domestic donors to the Fund will be eligible for tax benefits as applicable in the case of the Swachh Bharat Kosh. The Fund would be managed by a Trust to be headed by Finance Minister.
"The proposal to set up CGF is to attract private contributions globally for increasing people's participation in this massive task," a statement by the Water Resources Ministry said.
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