New Delhi: The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) organized an all-day Review-Cum-Workshop to assess and progress planning and implementation of Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban 2.0 nationwide. The event had attendance from the principal Secretaries of Urban Development & Municipal Administration of 35 States/UTs, Commissioners of Municipal Corporations of 9 Megacities, State Mission Directors, sector partners, and development partners of MoHUA.
During the event, Union Minister Shri Hardeep Singh Puri lauded the progress and success attained during the first phase of SBM, attributing the Jan Andolan for driving behavior change and leading to resounding success.
The Union Minister highlighted that the second phase of the SBM Urban seeks to realize the vision of garbage-free cities via scientific solid waste and used water management while commenting that over 50% of allocations for 22 States had been approved in just the second year, thanks to expedited planning and approval processes.
He expressed his desire to see significant progress in the sanitation and waste management status on the ground during the ongoing Swachh Survekshan and urged that all cities must attain a 3-Star garbage- free rating by 2026.
Achieving this ambitious goal will necessitate accelerated efforts via regular planning, monitoring, evaluation, and corrective measures’ implementation. The Union Minister also emphasized that the Review-Cum-Workshop presented a valuable platform for mutual learning and experience-sharing among the various states.
Addressing the participating States, Shri Manoj Joshi, Secretary, MoHUA, lauded the tremendous initiatives and relentless efforts of the cities towards Legacy Waste Remediation, waste processing, Used Water Management and Solid Waste management. He added, ‘We are here to discuss what work needs to be done in the future.’
Interacting with the States, the Secretary highlighted that States like MP, Chhattisgarh, Telangana, AP and Tamil Nadu have been exemplary and the other cities should visit these States to learn from them. Focusing on Legacy Waste Dumpsite and waste processing, the Secretary highlighted that planning and implementation should be expedited to achieve the target by 2026. He reiterated that SBM-U2.0's focus is to establish sustainable infrastructure for efficient & scientific processing of waste besides the promotion of Waste to Wealth and Circular Economy. He concluded with a focus on Urban Planning that will benefit most of the States in the coming years and help implement source segregation, waste collection, transportation, and processing.
The workshop highlighted, the progress in various States/Cities in terms of IEC Campaigns, Capacity Building, IT, Infra, the policy approach of SWM – Door-to-Door Collection, Waste segregation, status of Waste processing, Action Plan Status, Waste To Wealth leading to circular economy, scientific landfill, bulk waste generators, MRFs, Composting Units, National Clean Air Programme (NCAP), Bio- methanation plants in various cities, Extended Producers Responsibility (EPR) & Plastic Waste Management, Policy framework and Action Plan Status for UWM, STPs. Various States/UTs also shared their status, progress, planning, and review of various projects, best practices, challenges faced, and other experiences under SBM-U 2.0.
