Cleanliness status in villages to be reviewed

To review the status of cleanliness in the villages and evaluate the impact of Swachh Bharat Mission, the government is going to conduct a rural sanitation survey across the country.
Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation has started the process of selecting a consultancy firm, which will act as an independent verification agency for this proposed national rural sanitation survey, sources said.
The department is also considering to make this survey a routine annual affair so that the policy makers can get required information and feedback on the basis of which action plan can be prepared, they said, adding it will also provide vital information required for successful implementation of Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM).

SBM was officially launched on October 2, 2014 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi with an aim to eradicate open defecation by 2019.
The programme is divided into two categories--Swachh Bharat Mission (Gramin) and Swachh Bharat Mission (Urban).
In the rural areas, the scheme requires engagement with community and facilitation--both of which are picking up slowly, they added.
The Ministry for Drinking Water and Sanitation is looking at the rural part of the scheme, and the Urban Development Ministry is implementing the programme in urban areas.
For the rural programme, the government is working on capacity building of key stakeholders such as collectors, zila panchayats among others.