What is Swachh Survekshan?

• Launched in 2016, Swachh Survekshan is a ranking exercise taken up by the Government of India to assess rural and urban areas for their levels of cleanliness and active implementation of Swachh Bharat mission initiatives in a timely and innovative manner.
• It is also aimed at inculcating a spirit of healthy competition among cities towards becoming India’s cleanest cities.

Who conducts the survey?

• The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs takes up the Swachh Survekshan in urban areas and the Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation in rural areas.
• The Quality Council of India (QCI) is in charge of evaluating the performance of the participating cities. 

Why in News?

• The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs has launched the field assessment of Swachh Survekshan -2021.
• This will be the sixth edition of the annual cleanliness survey.

Related Details

Quality Council of India

• QCI was set up in 1997 jointly by the Government of India and the Indian Industry.
• Its mandate is to establish and operate a national accreditation structure and promote quality through National Quality Campaign.
• The Ministry of Commerce & Industry is the nodal ministry for QCI.
• Chairman of QCI is appointed by the Prime Minister on the recommendations of the industry to the Government.

About Swachh Bharat Abhiyan

• Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM), launched on 2nd October 2014, is a massive mass movement that seeks to create a Clean India by October 2, 2019 (150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi).
• It has 2 components – urban and rural.  

1. SBM Urban aims for the elimination of open defecation, conversion of unsanitary 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.  
2. SBM Rural aims to make India an open defecation free country. It seeks to improve the levels of cleanliness in rural areas through Solid and Liquid Waste Management activities and making Gram Panchayats Open Defecation Free (ODF), clean and sanitised.  

• The urban component of the mission is implemented by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, and the rural component by the Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation, Ministry of Jal Shakti.

Phase II of SBM Rural

• In 2020, the Union Cabinet approved the Phase II of the Swachh Bharat Mission (Grameen) till 2024-25
• It will focus on Open Defecation Free Plus (ODF Plus), which includes ODF sustainability and Solid and Liquid Waste Management (SLWM). The program will also work towards ensuring that no one is left behind and everyone uses a toilet.  

ODF+ and ODF++ 

• The Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs launched the ODF+ and ODF++ programmes towards sustaining and maintaining the toilets built under SBM Urban. 
• It aims to further scale up and sustain the work undertaken by the cities after achieving the ODF status under Phase I of the SBM-Urban.
• Cities that have been certified ODF at least once, on the basis of the ODF protocols, are eligible to declare themselves as SBM-ODF+ & SBM-ODF++.  
  • While ODF+ focuses on toilets with water, maintenance and hygiene, ODF++ focuses on toilets with sludge and septage management.

Phase II of SBM Urban

• In the Union Budget 2021-22, the Finance Minister announced the rollout of Urban Swachh Bharat Mission 2.0, which will be implemented over five years from 2021. 

Reference:

1. http://newsonair.com/News?title=Housing-and-Urban-Affairs-Ministry-launches-field-assessment-of-Swachh-Survekshan–2021&id=410865