New Delhi: Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation (DDWS), Ministry of Jal Shakti will be commemorating the birth anniversary of Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi as Swachh Bharat Diwas (SBD) on 2nd Oct 2022. The Department draws its inspiration from Mahatma Gandhi who once said, “Cleanliness is next to godliness”. Swachh Bharat Mission draws its strength from the people who have made it a Jan Andolan ensuring complete sanitation – ‘sampoorna swachhta’.
A day-long programme is being organized by the Department at Vigyan Bhawan on 2nd October 2022. The President of India, Smt. Droupadi Murmu,will be presiding over the function as the Chief Guest in the august presence of the Union Minister of Rural Development & Panchayati Raj, Sh. Giriraj Singh, Union Minister of Jal Shakti, Sh. Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Sh. Prahlad Singh Patel, Minister of State for Jal Shakti & Food Processing Industry and Sh. Bishweswar Tudu, Minister of State for Jal Shakti and Tribal Affairs
DDWS implements two flagship programmes of the central government viz; Swachh Bharat Mission (Grameen) and Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM). JJM was announced from the ramparts of the Red Fort by the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi on 15th August 2019 with the aim to provide tap water connection in every rural household. Similarly, SBM(G) Phase II was launched in March 2020, to make rural India ODF+ i.e., sustaining the status of Open Defecation Free (ODF) and ensuring solid and liquid waste management in every village.
During the event, the President will be presented Swachh Survekshan Grameen (SSG) 2022 report by Union Jal Shakti Minister. The Department has been conducting Swachh Sarvekshan since 2018. In order to, undertake the Sarvekshan for 2022, the survey was launched by the Union Minister of Jal Shakti, Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat on 9th September 2021. The Swachh Sarvekshan report will give details of the ranking, field-survey, assessment and citizens perception. In addition to it, details pertaining to Swachh Survekshan Grameen (SSG) 2023 will also be shared.
The event will also see the release of report on ‘Functionality Assessment FY 2021-22’. The report is based on the third-party survey carried out by the department, to assess the number of working tap connections, regularity and prescribed quality of water supplied. During the survey, testing was carried out across 712 districts covering 13,299 villages. A total of 3,01,389 households and 22,596 public institutions were surveyed. 2,19,564 water samples from households and 9,844 samples from public institutions were tested. The sample size for 2022 is three times that of previous year.
Based on the findings of Swachh Survekshan Grameen (SSG) 2022 and JJM Functionality Assessment Report, implementation and progress of the two missions of the Department, best performing States/UTs & Districts will be felicitated during the event on 2nd Oct. 2022.
The programme will also see the launch of Jal Jeevan Survekshan 2023. The Survekshan will talk about functionality of tap water connection in all the ‘Har Ghar Jal’ villages. It is a means to ensure that the objective of Jal Jeevan Mission is achieved i.e. adequate amount of potable water is regularly reaching every household in the village.
The Department will also launch two campaigns on this occasion:
“Retrofit to Twin Pit Abhiyan” for promoting twin pit toilets in households towards improved faecal sludge management. This campaign will conclude on World Toilet Day i.e. 19th November 2022.
‘Swachh Jal Se Suraksha’: The campaign on water quality will help create awareness on the importance of clean and safe drinking water and also help to monitor the quality of water supplied in rural households
