CMs' sub-group may submit report on Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan by Aug 15

The committee headed by N Chandrababu Naidu deliberated in detail on various amendments to be carried out to certain laws to effectively implement the programme

NITI Aayog's sub-committee of chief ministers on Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan will submit its report to the Centre by August 2015, said Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu.

Speaking to reporters after chairing the meeting of the committee, here on Wednesday, Naidu said, "We want to do it before the Independence Day."

Naidu said during the next meeting, which will be held in Delhi, the committee will discuss with respective ministries on tax incentives and many other issues. They will invite finance ministry, urban and rural development ministries, power ministry among others for the meeting, he said.

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his counterparts from Uttarakhand Harish Rawat and Lal Thanhawla from Mizoram attended today's meeting. Chief Ministers of Delhi, Bihar, Sikkim, Maharashtra, West Bengal and Haryana, who are also in the Sub-Group, did not attend the meeting and sent either their ministers or senior officials.

This was the third meeting of the Sub-Group after the first two held in Delhi and Chandigarh. Today?s meeting discussed in detail about waste management. The Sub-Group was constituted in March last to examine financial requirements for comprehensive implementation of the Swachh Bharat Mission and suggest measures for meeting budgetary needs and recommend robust institutional mechanisms for effective implementation among others.

The Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan, launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on October 2 last, aims to rid the country of open defecation by 2019, the 150th birth anniversary year of Mahatma Gandhi.

Addressing the meeting, Siddaramaiah said Karnataka would achieve the target one year ahead of the schedule in 2018 itself. He also suggested that since Swachh Bharat was a centrally-sponsored scheme, 90 per cent of funding should come from the Centre and states can pool the remaining 10 per cent from their coffers.

?We have also requested the Chairman of the sub-group to make this request to the Central government in the report,? Siddaramaiah added.

He also called for certain amendments to be made to the Environment Protection Act. "Today, state governments do not have rule making powers on issues relating to environment. The states should be given a free hand in framing rules for regulating the environment," he said.

Water is not included under Swachh Bharat and without adequate water there can be no proper sanitation, he said adding that LPCD (Litres Per Capita Daily) norms between rural and urban need to be rationalised. "It is very much necessary to have policy changes in National Water Policy and Drinking Water Policy. Unfortunately, the domestic cattle or animal water requirement in rural areas is not taken in to account in our calculations, which we now need to focus upon," Siddaramaiah added.