Drinking Water Ministry launches the Swachh Survekshan Grameen 2018

The Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation launches the Swachh SurvekshanGrameen 2018 (SSG 2018) in the capital today. An independent survey agency will conduct the survey in all districts from 1^st to 31^stAugust 2018, and the results will be announced in the form of a ranking of all districts and states on the basis of quantitative and qualitative sanitation (Swachhata) parameters. The top performing states and districts are expected to be awarded on 2^nd October 2018.

Speaking at the launch, Secretary, Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation, Shri Parameswaran Iyer, said that the objective of SSG 2018 is to undertake a ranking of states and districts on the basis of their performance attained on key quantitative and qualitative SBM-G parameters. In the process, through a countrywide communication campaign, rural communities will be engaged in the improvement of the sanitation and cleanliness of their surrounding areas, he added.

The Secretary further outlined the structure and process of the survey. As part of Swachh Survekshan Grameen 6,980 villages in 698 districts across India will be covered. Total 34,000 public places namely schools, anganwadis, public health centres, haat/bazaars/religious places in these villages will be visited for survey. Citizens’ feedback will be collected from over 50 lakh citizens on SBM related issues through direct interaction as well as online feedback.

During the process, 65% weightage has been assigned to the findings and outcome from the survey and 35% to the service level parameters to be obtained from the IMIS of the MDWS. The weights to different elements of the SSG would be as below:

• Direct Observation of sanitation in public places: 30%
• Citizen’s Feedback on sanitation parameters: 35%
• Service Level Progress on sanitation progress in the country as per SBMG- MIS: 35%

The audio-visual communication campaign, featuring prominent celebrities including Swachh Bharat ambassadors including Shri Amitabh Bachchan and Shri Sachin Tendulkar, was also launched at the event. Also, the SSG 2018 logo and the SSG 2018 brochure detailing essential facts about the initiative was also released.

Responding to questions from the media at the launch, the Secretary also shared the progress figures of SBM(G) in rural India. Over 7.7 crore toilets have been built in rural India under the Swachh Bharat Mission (Grameen) since its launch in October 2014, with a usage of 93% as per an independent third-party survey conducted in 2017-18 across all States/UTs. Nearly 4 lakh villages, over 400 districts and 19 States and Union Territories have declared themselves free from open defecation.