On December 6, 2021, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) signed a Memorandum of Understanding. The agreement was signed under the Swachh Bharat Mission Urban 2.0. It was signed to strengthen the waste management sector in the country.

About the MoU

• Under the MoU, the UNDP will help in setting up 75 Smart Swachhata Kendras in the country.
• Also, the UNDP will help India on integrating the informal waste pickers. It will assist India in linking them with government welfare schemes.
• The MoU also included digitizing the waste flow and streamlining activities in Swachhata Kendras. It will encourage the use of machine learning and Artificial Intelligence in measures adopted under Swachh Bharat Mission Urban 2.0.
• According to the MoU, the UNDP will assist India in solid waste management and used water management.
• Also, the UNDP will help India to promote and replicate sustainable model for waste management.