Ministry of Jal Shakti | Year End Review 2019

PIB News Update: PM dedicates a Swachh Bharat to Bapu and the people of India:

The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, dedicated a Swachh Bharat India to the people of India and the Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi on 2^nd October, 2019, in front of  20,000 Swachhagrahis and Sarpanches assembled from all over the country at a massive public event at the Sabarmati Riverfront in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, The Prime Minister said that by alleviating 60% of the world’s share of people defecating in the open, India has significantly contributed to the global achievement of SDG 6.

A Clean and Open Defecation Free (ODF) India on 2nd October 2019 was the most befitting tribute possible to give to Mahatma Gandhi on his 150th birth anniversary. He saluted the work done by lakhs of Swachhagrahis in response to the Mission’s clarion call for making Swachhata a Jan Andolan, a people’s movement and physically bowed to the gathering to express his gratitude.

2. Prime Minister Narendra Modi launches Swachhata Hi Seva (SHS) 2019:

The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi launched Swachhata Hi Seva (SHS) 2019, a massive countrywide awareness and mobilization campaign at Mathura on 11^th September 2019, with special focus on ‘plastic waste awareness and management’. The launch of SHS was organized jointly by the Central Departments of Animal Husbandry and Dairying and Drinking Water and Sanitation and the Government of Uttar Pradesh.

3.  First meeting of National Ganga Council:                                            

 

Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi chaired the first meeting of the National Ganga Council in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh on 14^th December.

The Council has been given overall responsibility for superintendence of pollution prevention and rejuvenation of River Ganga Basin, including Ganga and its tributaries. The first meeting of the Council was aimed at reinforcing the importance of a ‘Ganga-centric’ approach in all departments of the concerned states as well as relevant Central Ministries.

Prime Minister, reviewed the progress of work done on various aspects of cleaning river Ganga with a focus on ‘swachhta’, ‘aviralta’ and ‘nirmalta’.

4. Swachh Bharat Awards:

At the Swachh Mahotsav event in New Delhi on 6^th September, the President Shri Ramnath Kovind complimented the Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) for inspiring historic behaviour change in the country and putting forth a model for the world to replicate. He also gave away a set of Swachh Bharat awards. More than 1300 swachhata champions including school children, NCC cadets, volunteers from NSS and NYKS, swachhagrahies, sarpanches, representatives from States and UTs, central government ministries and media persons participated in the grand event.

5.  6th India Water Week – 2019:                     

The President of India, Shri Ram Nath Kovind, inaugurated the 6th India Water Week-2019, on September 24, 2019 in New Delhi. The theme of the India Water Week-2019 is ‘Water Cooperation – Coping with 21st Century Challenges’

6.  Jal Shakti Abhiyan:

Jal Shakti Abhiyan, which is a collaborative effort of the Central and State Governments to accelerate progress on water conservation activities in the most water stressed blocks and districts of India. Under this campaign, the entire Government of India machinery of over 1000 senior Central Government officers have joined the States to promote focused interventions for water collection and conservation, including restoration and renovation of traditional water bodies.

7.   Patna river front dedicated  to people:

In another important step towards Nirmal Ganga, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 17^th February laid the foundation stone for sewerage infrastructure at four towns in Bihar including Karmalichak (Patna), Barh, Sultanganj and Nauguchia. PM also dedicated to people the Patna River Front that includes 16 ghats, 1 crematorium, 4.9 km promenade, community-cum-cultural centre, audio-visual theatre and eco centre build at a cost of Rs. 243.27 crore.

The sewerage infrastructure projects for which foundation stone was laid include sewerage network of 96.54 km and 1 sewage pumping station (SPS) in Karmalichak (Patna), 11 MLD sewage treatment plant (STP), 3 SPS and interception & diversion of 3 drains in Barh, 10 MLD STP, 4 SPS and interception & diversion of 5 drains in Sultanganj and 9 MLD STP, 6 SPS and interception & diversion of 9 drains in Nauguchia. These sewerage projects costing Rs. 452.24 crore will prevent flow of 6.7 crore litre of sewage per day into River Ganga.

8. Villages across India discuss PM’s letter on Water Conservation:

To promote water conservation across the country ahead of the monsoon season, the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, wrote letters to all Sarpanches, urging them to undertake Rainwater Harvesting and Water Conservation activities in rural India. Gram Sabhas were convened across the country on 22^nd June and the Prime Minister’s letter was read out publicly to all the residents of the village. The sitting of Gram Sabha was followed by shramdaan for water conservation, as outlined in the Prime Minister’s letter. Activities included building and cleaning small ponds for storing rainwater, tree plantation drives, Constructing/installing storage tanks for rainwater harvesting, and afforestation.

To mark the occasion, the Union Minister for Jal Shakti, Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, kicked off the water conservation Shramdaan in Jodhpur in Rajasthan, and also held a Jan Samvad with villagers and Swachh Bharat Summer Interns, who are youth volunteering for Swachhata work. He also inaugurated a rainwater harvesting unit at Narwa village, and did shramdaan for retrofitting of toilets and construction of Compost pits in the district.

9. Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi felicitated the Safai Karmacharis working in Kumbh:

The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, on 25^th February honoured and paid respect to the safai karamcharis working in the Kumbh Mela, by washing the feet of five of them. The gesture was a part of the ”Swachh Kumbh, Swachh Aabhaar” programme, where the Prime Minister addressed a gathering of 10,000 safai karamcharis, swachhagrahis, police personnel and naviks of the Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj yesterday. The gathering was organized by the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation in association with the Government of Uttar Pradesh (GoUP).

10. India’s first HAM project in sewerage sector, the 14 MLD STP at Sarai, Haridwar completed before time:   

14MLD Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) at Sarai in Haridwar was inaugurated on December 5, 2019. The Sarai 14 MLD Sewage Treatment Plant is the first STP to be completed under the Hybrid Annuity (HAM) Based Public Private Partnership Model, involving a cost of Rs. 41.40 crores, and the Plant has been completed before its scheduled timeline.

The vision of the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) is long term and hence the capability being created would fully take care of the requirements up to 2035.Municipal sewage, being the main source of pollution in the Ganga, is being tackled through 150 Sewerage projects at a cost of more than Rs. 23,000 crores (more than 3 billion USD), in addition to various interventions for checking industrial and other sources of pollution in the Ganga

11. River Cleaning to be taken up in  Mission Mode:

The cleaning of river Ganga and its tributaries would be taken up in a mission mode. He said this while participating in a Cleanathon event of “Namami Gange” at the Kalindi Kunj Ghat near Okhla Barrage in New Delhi. Shri Shekhawat said that Government could only be a catalyst, but to realise the dream and vision of the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi – “Aviral Dhara”, “Nirmal Dhara” and “Swachh Kinara”, the Cleanathon project should truly become a mass movement. He said that the Government is working on the project by adopting the Basin Approach, which is more sustainable.

12.  Swachh Mahotsava 2019:             

The Minister of Jal Shakti Shekhawat  launched  Swachh Mahotsav 2019 – a campaign to celebrate the successes of the Swachh Bharat Mission and honour the stakeholder who were instrumental in making it happen. Kickstarting the Mahotsav, winners of Swachh Sundar Shauchalaya were recognized by the Minister. The Mahotsav was organized by the Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation, Ministry of Jal Shakti and culminated on 2nd October 2019, the 150th birth year anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.

 

13. Jal Shakti Minister Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat inspected Namami Gange STP projects at Dinapur and Ramana:

 

Union Minister for Jal Shakti, Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat reviewed the ongoing Namami Gange projects in Varanasi during his visit to the city on 18^th June. He inspected the 140 Million Litres Day (MLD) Dinapur Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) from inlet upto outfall point into Varuna. He was accompanied by Director General, National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG), Shri Rajiv Ranjan Mishra.

Sh. Shekhawat instructed the officials of Dinapur STP to conduct periodic chemical checks to ensure that the sewage does not have any industrial or other toxic discharge. Under the Namami Gange program, 2 STPs at Dinapur and Goitha (120 MLD) have been recently completed at Varanasi, of which, the Dinapur STP was inaugurated late last year by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi in November 2018.

Furthermore, the 50 MLD STP being constructed in Ramana will bolster the existing sewage treatment capacity of the city and take it to 412 MLD which is adequate to meet the sewage treatment demand till 2035 and stop untreated sewage from entering the Ganga in Varanasi.

Shri Shekhawat also inspected all the 84 iconic Ghats of Varanasi by boat with a particular focus on the 26 Ghats, where the projects of repair/ renovation have been taken up under the Namami Gange Program. He also reviewed the project for regular cleaning of the 84 Ghats as well as the river surface cleaning project, both of which have been put in place under the Namami Gange Program to ensure cleanliness in and around the river.

Apart from inspecting the Ghats, he also observed the Ghat pumping stations and tapping of drains. Out of 23 drains, 20 drains have already been tapped. The remaining 3, including Assi are being tapped through Ramana STP project, which is to be completed during this year.

 

14. Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat inspected ongoing Projects in Rishikesh and Haridwar: 

Union Jal Shakti Minister Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat reviewed the ongoing Namami Gange projects in Rishikesh and Haridwar on 13^th June. Shri Shekhawat was shown the working of the Sarai Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) on the miniature model of the Sarai STP and then inspected the plant in detail, where the officials took him through the operations of the plant. He also inspected the control room of the STP.

Shri Shekhawat also inspected the under construction Jagjeetpur STP which is slated for completion later this year. Under the Namami Gange programme, NMCG has approved 4 projects, 2 projects related to laying of Interception and Diversion (I&D) works and 2 projects for creating 82 (68+14) Million Litre Per Day (MLD) STP capacity.

 

15.  Meeting with all States for water conservation, rural drinking water supply and Swachh Bharat Mission (Grameen):

 

The Union Minister for Jal Shakti, Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, held a review meeting with all State Ministers and State Principal Secretaries for Water Resources, Drinking Water and Sanitation and PHED in New Delhi on 11^th June. The focus of the meeting was to review the steps taken and action plans made by various States for the drinking water and sanitation sectors in the country, especially their preparedness to conserve rainwater over the forthcoming monsoon months. 24 State Water and Sanitation Ministers joined the meeting to represent the sectors in their respective States.

16. Capacity Strengthening Initiative for 2.5 lakh Panchayats launched:

The Union Minister of Jal Shakti, Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, on 27^th July launched the capacity strengthening initiative of the Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation (DDWS), Ministry of Jal Shakti, in Ranchi, Jharkhand. This initiative would create a poorl of 2800 filed trainers in its trainings, who will reach out to around 2.5lkah gram Panchayats across the country.

The initiative seeks to ensure the sustainability of open defecation free (ODF) villages created under the Swachh Bharat Mission in the long term and enable field trainers and members of PRIs (Panchayat Raj Institutions) to create capacity to manage solid and liquid wastes as well as improve access to safe and adequate drinking water supply.

Addressing more than 6000 Mukhiyas, Jal Sahiyas, Swachhagrahis and others present on the occasion, Jal Shakti Minister Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat emphasized the need for people’s participation highlighting that it is now time to turn the “jal ka andolan” into “jan ka andolan” to avert the impending water crisis.

17. Jal Shakti Abhiyan for Water Conservation Launched:

Union Jal Shakti Minister, Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, on 1^st July announced the commencement of the Jal Shakti Abhiyan – a campaign for water conservation and water security. The campaign would run through citizen participation during the monsoon season, from 1st July, 2019 to 15th September, 2019. An additional Phase 2 would be run from 1st October, 2019 to 30th November, 2019 for States receiving the North East retreating monsoons. The focus of the campaign will be on water stressed districts and blocks.

18.  Meeting of State Ministers for Jal Jeevan Mission :         

 

Union Minister for Jal Shakti, Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat chaired a Conference of State Ministers on Jal Jeevan Mission in New Delhi on 26^th August. State Ministers in-charge of Drinking Water from 17 States; and Principal Secretaries/Secretaries attended theconference. The objective of the Conference was to discuss the implementation of the newly announced Jal Jeevan Mission,to provide individual household water tap connection to everyrural household in the country by 2024.

 

19. India’s Largest Rural Sanitation Survey Launched:

Jal Shakti Minister Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat launched the Swachh Survekshan Grameen 2019 (SSG 2019) in the capital on 14^th August. The survey covered 17,450 villages in 698 districts across India and include 87,250 public places namely schools, anganwadi centers, public health centres, haat/bazaars/religious places, making it India’s largest rural sanitation survey. Around 2,50,000 citizens were interviewed for their feedback as part of the survey. Citizens will also be mobilised to provide feedback on sanitation relation related issues online using an application developed for the purpose.

20. National Launch of 10 Year Rural Sanitation Strategy (2019-2029):    

 

The Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation (DDWS), Ministry of Jal Shakti, GoI launched the 10 Year Rural Sanitation Strategy (2019-2029), which focus on sustaining the sanitation behavior change that has been achieved under the Swachh Bharat Mission Grameen (SBM-G), ensuring that no one is left behind, and increasing access to solid and liquid waste management.

Since the launch of the SBM-G in 2014, over 10 crore toilets have been built in rural areas; over 5.9 lakh villages, 699 districts, and 35 States/UTs have declared themselves Open Defecation Free (ODF). This strategy has been prepared by DDWS, in consultation with State Governments and other stakeholders, and it lays down a framework to guide local governments, policy makers, implementers and other relevant stakeholders in their planning for ODF Plus, where everyone uses a toilet, and every village has access to solid and liquid waste management.

21. National Water Mission Awards- 2019:                                               

Union Minister for Jal Shakti Shri Gajendra Singh Sekhawat said that water conservation along with water-harvesting and judicious and multiple use of water are key to tackle the water challenge in India. Speaking after giving away the National Water Mission Awards-2019 in New Delhi on 25^th September, the Minister lamented the fact that only 4 percent of CSR obligation is spent on water, while it is around 11 percent for the water-intensive industries and called for a rethink on the issue. Shri Shekhawat also urged the policy planners to take into account the multiple use of water in Agriculture and Industries for the judicious use of scarce resource.

22.  Ganga Aamantran – a unique initiative to connect with Ganga’s Stakeholders Launched: 

The ‘Ganga Aamantran Abhiyan’ is a pioneering and historic exploratory open-water rafting and kayaking expedition on the Ganga River to be held between 10^th October 2019 to 11 November 2019. Starting at Devprayag and culminating at Ganga Sagar, the expedition will cover the entire streatch of over 2500 kms of the Ganga River.

This is the first ever effort by National Mission for Clean Ganga to raft across the entire stretch of the river and also the longest ever social campaign undertaken through an adventure sporting activity to spread the message of River Rejuvenation and Water Conservation on a massive scale. The expedition will draw attention to the ecological challenges being faced by Ganga.

The expedition would encompass the five Ganga basin states including Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, Bihar and West Bengal with stops at Rishikesh, Haridwar, Kanpur, Allahabad, Varanasi, Patna, Sonepur and Kolkata.

23. CGWB signs MoU with Australia’s MARVI:

The Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) signed an Memorandum of Understanding with MARVI (Managing Aquifer Recharge and Sustaining Groundwater Use through Village-level Intervention) Partners of Australia in New Delhi on 22^nd November. Union Minister of Jal Shakti, Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, MoS Jal Shakti and Social Justice & Empowerment, Shri Rattan Lal Kataria, Secretary, Department of Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation, Shri UP Singh, Education Minister of Australia, Mr. Dan Tehan and Australian High Commissioner to India, Ms. Iven Mackay were present.

24. Shri Nitin Gadkari laid Foundation Stones for Namami Gange Projects in Agra and Mathura:

Union Minister for Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, Road Transport & Highways and Shipping Shri Nitin Gadkari laid the foundation stones of six Namami Gange projects in Agra and Mathura on 23 Jan 2019. The four projects in Mathura have a sanctioned cost of Rs 511.74 crore. These include two sewerage projects.

25. NMCG Officials and Partners come together to contribute to Clean Ganga Fund:

The officials and partners of National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) came together on one platform on 15^th January, to make personal donations to the Clean Ganga Fund on a voluntary basis. Officials from various executing agencies, stakeholders and aartners with Team NMCG including State Bank of India, Union Bank of India, Engineers India Ltd., WAPCOS, HDFC etc contributed to the Clean Ganga Fund at an event held at the NMCG headquarters.

26. MoU for construction of Renukaji multipurpose dam:

Shri Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister for Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, Shipping and Road Transport & Highways on 11^th January signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Chief Ministers of Uttar Pradesh – Shri Yogi Adityanath, Rajasthan –Sh. Ashok Gehlot, Uttarakhand -Shri Trivendra Singh Rawat, Haryana- Shri Manohar Lal, Delhi – Shri Arvind Kejriwal, and Himachal Pradesh – Shri Jai Ram Thakur in New Delhi for the construction of Renukaji Multi-Purpose Dam project in the Upper Yamuna Basin.

Under the Renukaji Multi-Purpose Dam project, three storage projects are proposed to be constructed on the river Yamuna and two of its tributaries – Tons and Giri in the hilly regions of Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh of Upper Yamuna Basin. These include  Lakhwar project on river Yamuna in Uttarakhand , Kishau on river Tons in Uttarakhand and  Himachal Pradesh and  Renukaji on river Giri in Himachal Pradesh.

Shri Gadkari also presided over the ceremony of signing of concession agreement for Namami Gange projects in Prayagraj under Hybrid Annuity Mode and One-City-One-Operator concept. The agreement was signed amongst Shri Akhil Kumar from National Mission for Clean Ganga, Shri Anil Kumar Srivastava from U.P. Jal Nigam and Shri Dilip Pormal from Prayagraj Water Pvt. Ltd.

27. Shri Nitin Gadkari inaugurated and laid foundation stone for projects worth Rs 5,894 crore at Chandi Ghat in Haridwar:

The Union Minister for Road Transport & Highways, Shipping and Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation Shri Nitin Gadkari inaugurated and laid foundation stone for projects worth Rs 5,894 crore at Chandi Ghat in Haridwar on 21^st February.

The projects included six newly constructed sewage treatment plants (STPs) along with 18 pumping stations across the state of Uttarakhand under National Mission for Clean Ganga. The venue for the inauguration was Chandi Ghat. This ghat in Uttarakhand is part of 36 others which have been completed. The STPs and Ghats are part of 48 projects in the field of sewerage management, Ghats and Crematoria works, River front development works, Afforestation, Bio-remediation, Rural sanitation and River surface cleaning works at the cost of Rs. 1354.33 Cr. which are at different stages of implementation.

28.  Foundation stone  laid for many sewerage infrastructure projects in Bihar:

Union Minister for Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, Road Transport and Highways & Shipping Shri Nitin Gadkari laid the foundation stone of sewerage projects worth Rs 2785.23 Cr in Chhapra, Bihar in the presence of Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar Shri Sushil Kumar Modi on 29^th February.

The projects will prevent the flow of 32 Crore Litres of Sewage per day into the Ganga river from 13 towns of Bihar including Patna, Chhapra, Sonepur, Danapur, Maner, Phulwarishari, Bakhtiyarpur, Fatuha, Mokama, Begusarai, Khagaria, Munger and Bhagalpur.

29. Jal Shakti Abhiyan becomes a jan andolan :

The Cabinet Secretary, Shri Pradeep Kumar Sinha, on 26^th August reviewed the work done so far under the Jal Shakti Abhiyan (JSA),and in particular the second field visit of the 1100 central government officers to the 256 most water stressed districts of India. He lauded the efforts and commitment of the officers in helping make the Jal Shakti Abhiyan a people’s movement for water conservation.

30. National Planning Workshop on ODF Plus and Water Conservation held in Delhi:

With over 5.6 lakh villages, 622 districts, and 30 States/UTs declared Open Defecation Free (ODF) in rural India underthe Swachh Bharat Mission (Grameen), Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation (DDWS), Ministry of Jal Shakti organized a two-day National Planning Workshop on ODF Plus and Water Conservation from July 12-13, 2019 in New Delhi. Secretaries-in-Charge of Sanitation, Mission Directors and other key state level officials from 29 states/UTs attended the workshop.

The Minister of State then launched the Solid Liquid Waste Management (SLWM) Dashboard, ODF-Plus Advisory and the ODF-Plus & Swachh Gram Darpan Mobile Application to foster healthy competition between States and districts undertaking ODF-plus activities.

31. Cabinet approves “FMBAP” for Flood Management Works in entire country and River Management Activities and works related to Border Areas during 2017-18 to 2019-20:

 

The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 7^th March approved the “Flood Management and Border Areas Programme (FMBAP)” for Flood Management Works in entire country and River Management Activities and works related to Border Areas for the period 2017-18 to 2019-20 with a total outlay of Rs.3342.00 crores.

Benefits:

The FMBAP Scheme will be implemented throughout the country for effective flood management, erosion control and anti-sea erosion. The proposal will benefit towns, villages, industrial establishments, communication links, agricultural fields, infrastructure etc. from floods and erosion in the country. The catchment area treatment works will help in reduction of sediment load into rivers.

Funding pattern:

The funding pattern for FM Component for works in general category States will continue to be 50% (Centre) : 50% (State) and for projects of North Eastern States, Sikkim, J&K, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, the funding pattern will continue to be 70% (Centre) : 30% (State).

 

32. Projects worth Rs. 1387.71 Cr in Yamuna towns approved under Namami Gange:  

In its 20^th Executive Committee meeting held on 15^th February, 2019, sewerage infrastructure and other projects worth Rs.1387.71 Cr focusing on towns along river Yamuna have been approved. The projects involve construction and renovation of sewage treatment plants, online monitoring systems of sewage treatment plants and other infrastructure projects.

 

33. NMCG partners with Solidaridad Multi-Stakeholder Platform for sustainable growth of Kanpur-Unnao leather Cluster:   

 

NMCG has partnered with Solidaridad to launch the Multi-Stakeholder Platform for sustainable growth of the Kanpur-Unnao Leather Cluster. Solidaridad convened a Multi-Stakeholder Platform, a unique public-private partnership in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh.

Tanneries in Kanpur area have been a priority for Ganga rejuvenation and a comprehensive project of common effluent treatment plant has been taken up under Namami Gange for the Jajmau Tannery cluster alongside arrangement for conveyance, chrome recovery and pilot ZLD Plant. Attention is also on improving processes within the tanneries to make them more green and sustainable. Solidaridad is one such agency to help in this. This programme is currently working with around 100 tanneries in the Kanpur-Unnao Leather Cluster and will soon be expanding to the other important leather geography of India and adjoining countries.

34. Over 3.5 lakh Water Conservation Measures taken up in a single month as nationwide Jal Shakti Abhiyan hits the ground:

In a countrywide effort to enhance water security, especially in water stressed districts, the Centre initiated Jal Shakti Abhiyan (JSA) has delivered over 3.5 lakh water conservation measures in 256 districts. Out of these, 1.54 lakh are of water conservation and rain water harvesting measures, 20000 relate to the rejuvenation of traditional water bodies, over 65000 are reuse and recharge structures and 1.23 lakh are watershed development projects. An estimated 2.64 crore people have already participated in the Abhiyan making it a Jan Andolan. About 4.25 crore saplings were planted as a part of the efforts. The outcome of the first phase of the Jal Shakti Abhiyan was announced at a review by Cabinet Secretary in New Delhi on 2^nd August.

Shri Parameswaran Iyer, Secretary, DDWS, shared that the JSA has led to an increase in groundwater level, surface water storage capacity, soil moisture in farm lands and increased plant cover. The JSA is a collaborative effort of various Ministries of the Centre and State Governments, and is primarily a Jal Sanchay campaign, which has gained phenomenal momentum in this past one month.

The campaign is successfully running with the involvement of about 1300 officers of the central government joined by state and district officials who are required to take up 3 field visits.

35. Paint Your Toilet:

In an effort to promote ownership and sustained usage of toilets and also provide a facelift to the crores of toilets built under the Swachh Bharat Mission, the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation launched a month-long campaign, “Swachh Sundar Shauchalaya” that commenced on 1^st January. The campaign comprised a unique Contest, under which, households were being mobilised to paint and decorate their toilets. It was spearheaded by Gram Panchayats and coordinated by district administrations.

36. National Workshop on Solid and Liquid Waste Management (SLWM) on 30^th and 31st January 2019:

The Swachh Bharat Mission Grameen (SBMG) of Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation, held a National Workshop on Solid and Liquid Waste Management (SLWM) on 30^th and 31st January 2019 in New Delhi. The workshop was attended by District Collectors, CEOs, CDOs, Executive Engineers and other officers, from across the country. The workshop emphasized the importance of Fecal Sludge Management (FSM) for rural census towns and large dense villages and Galvanizing Organic Bio-Agro Resource–dhan (GOBAR-DHAN) in rural areas. It also covered Plastic Waste Management, Grey Water Management and featured case studies from across the country.

37. “Darwaza Band -Part 2” campaign launched:

The Swachh Bharat Mission Grameen on 6^th February launched the ‘Darwaza Band -Part 2’ campaign which focuses on sustaining the open defecation free status of villages across the country. The campaign, produced by the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation, was launched in Mumbai in the presence of iconic actor Shri Amitabh Bachchan. The ‘Darwaza Band- Part 2’ campaign has been supported by the World Bank and is being rolled out countrywide immediately after the launch.

38. Independent Verification of Swachh Bharat Grameen confirms over 96% usage of toilets:

The National Annual Rural Sanitation Survey (NARSS) 2018-19, conducted by an Independent Verification Agency (IVA) under the World Bank support project to the Swachh Bharat Mission Grameen (SBM-G), has found that 96.5% of the households in rural India who have access to a toilet use it. The NARSS also re-confirmed the Open Defecation Free (ODF) status of 90.7% of villages which were previously declared and verified as ODF by various districts/States. The survey was conducted between November 2018 and February 2019 and covered 92040 households in 6136 villages across States and UTs of India.