The milestone of having 50,000 open defecation-free (ODF) Plus villages has been crossed by the country.

Overview:

• The top-performing states under this programme are Telangana which has 13,960 ODF Plus villages. It is followed by Tamil Nadu and Madhya Pradesh.
• In 2020, the Swachh Bharat Mission Grameen Phase-II was launched with the aim of ensuring that all the villages across the country can be declared as ODF Plus by the end of the year 2024.
• According to the Jal Shakti ministry, achieving the ODF Plus mission has several aspects that include the GOBARdhan Scheme, biodegradable waste management, Plastic waste management, Grey water management, and Faecal sludge management.
• Into three categories, the ODF Plus villages have been divided. The categories are Rising, Aspiring, and Model, which showcases their progress.
• The ODF Plus villages programme has resulted in a competitive and healthy spirit that has resulted in the participation of the people towards the accelerated implementation of “sampoorn swachhata.”
• Under Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, over one crore people from around 22,000-gram panchayats have participated in several sanitation activities.

About Swachh Bharat Mission Grameen Phase-II

In February 2020, the Ministry of Jal Shakti approved the implementation of the Swachh Bharat Mission Grameen Phase-II scheme. Under this programme emphasis is given to the success of Phase I and also adequate facilities are being provided for Solid, Liquid, and plastic Waste Management (SLWM) across rural India. This programme is being implemented from 2020-21 to 2024-25 and has a financial outlay of Rs. 1,40,881 crores.