SYLLABUS 

GS-1: poverty and developmental issues, their problems and their remedies.

GS-2: Issues relating to the development and management of the Social Sector.

Context: Recently, the union Jal Shakti minister informed Lok Sabha that all 354 villages in Dakshina Kannada, Karnataka, have been declared Open Defecation-Free (ODF) Plus.

Open defecation-free status

• Open Defecation Free city/ward: A city/ward can be notified/declared as ODF city/ODF ward if, at any point of the day, not a single person is found defecating in the open.
• An ODF Plus village is a village that has sustained its Open Defecation Free (ODF) status, ensures both solid and liquid waste management, and maintains a visually clean environment.
• Phase II of Swachh Bharat Mission (Grameen) [SBM(G)] is being implemented during the period from 2020-21 to 2025-26, with a focus on Open Defecation Free (ODF) sustainability and to cover all the villages with solid and liquid waste management (including Greywater management) i.e. converting the villages from ODF to ODF Plus (Model).

Criteria for ODF Plus Villages

An ODF Plus village is defined as one which:

• Sustains its ODF status.
• Ensures solid and liquid waste management.
• It must be visually clean.

ODF Plus Status in India

• As of 27th December 2024, over 95% of villages in India have been declared ODF Plus under Swachh Bharat Mission–Grameen.
• Over 69% of villages have achieved ODF Plus Model status.
• ODF Plus villages have seen a 460% increase, rising from 1 lakh in December 2022 to over 5.61 lakh in December 2024.
• Under SBM(G) there is no provision for ODF ++ Status.

The Swachh Bharat Mission-Grameen (SBM-G)

• SBN-G was initiated in 2014, with the mission targeted at making India Open Defecation Free (ODF).
• By 2019, the mission celebrated the construction of over 100 million individual household toilets, declaring more than 6 lakh villages ODF, aligning with SDG Target 6.2.
• Building on these achievements, Phase II of the Swachh Bharat Mission (Grameen) [SBM(G)], will focus on the sustainability of Open Defecation Free (ODF) status and Solid and Liquid Waste Management (SLWM) in rural India.
• The programme ensures that no one is left behind and everyone uses a toilet. SBM(G) Phase-II was implemented from 2020-21 to 2025-26 in a mission mode.

The key objective of SBM(G) Phase II includes:

• ODF-Sustainability: To ensure that villages, once declared ODF, maintain this status and don't revert to open defecation. 
• Solid Waste Management: To establish compost pits and waste segregation systems in villages.
• Liquid Waste Management: It focuses on the collection, treatment, and disposal of wastewater and other liquid waste in a safe and sustainable manner.
• Visual cleanliness: It aims to enhance the overall cleanliness and hygiene of rural areas.

Source

https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Mangalore/all-354-villages-in-dakshina-kannada-declared-open-defecation-free-plus-says-union-government/article69908798.ece https://static.pib.gov.in/WriteReadData/specificdocs/documents/2023/jun/doc2023616213901.pdf https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2089254 https://www.myscheme.gov.in/schemes/sbm-g-ii