The first meeting of the Sub-Group of Chief Ministers on Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan was held today at NITI Aayog, New Delhi. The Sub-Group was constituted as per decision taken at the first meeting of the Governing Council of the NITI Aayog chaired by the Prime Minister on 8th February, 2015. The Sub-Group consists of Chief Ministers of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Bihar, Delhi, Haryana, Maharashtra, Mizoram, Sikkim, West Bengal, and Uttarakhand as Members.

The Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, Shri N. Chandrababu Naidu, as the Convener of the Sub-Group, conducted today’s meeting. The Chief Minister of Karnataka, Shri Siddaramaiah and Chief Minister of Haryana, Shri Manohar Lal Khattar were present. The participants from other Sub-Group member-States include the Minister of Municipal Administration and Urban Development, Andhra Pradesh, Shri P. Narayana; the Minister of Forest and Wildlife, Justice, Law and Sports, Uttarakhand, Shri Dinesh Agarwal; the Minister of Environment and Forest, Delhi, Shri Asim Ahmad Khan; and the State Minister of Urban Development, Maharashtra, Shri Ranjeet Patil. Senior officials from other Sub Group-member States West Bengal, Bihar, Sikkim and Mizoram were also present. Members of NITI Aayog Shri V. K. Saraswat and Shri Bibek Debroy; the CEO, NITI Aayog, Smt. Sindhushree Khullar, as Coordinator of the Sub-Group, and senior officials of NITI Aayog, also attended.

The Sub-Group discussed the issue of the best technologies and best practices available in the country and abroad for Swachch Bharat Abhiyaan. A Working Group has been set up under the CEO, NITI Aayog with one member from each of the Sub-Group Member-States. The meeting decided to seek inputs from other states which are not the members of the Sub Group regarding best practices and technologies followed by them. The members discussed the issues of solid and liquid waste management and changing behavioral pattern. It was also pointed out that Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan programs should be run in campaign mode which must be sustainable. The Convener of the Chief Minister’s Sub-Group, Shri N. Chandrababu Naidu, said that the Sub-Group will have to work out the financial requirements for the program. The next meeting of the Sub-Group of the Chief Ministers will be held around mid-May in Chandigarh. Representatives of concerned Central Ministries will also be invited. The Sub-Group will submit its report by the end of June, 2015.

The Chief Minister’s sub group on Swacch Bharat Abhiyaan was constituted on 9th March, 2015.The terms of reference of the Sub-Group include examining financial requirements for comprehensive implementation of the Abhiyaan and suggest measures for meeting the budgetary needs. It is also mandated to recommend robust institutional mechanisms for effective implementation. The Sub-Group will recommend measures for technological support for different components of the Abhiyaan including solid and liquid waste management in rural and urban areas. The Sub-Group has been asked to examine models for private sector participation in the Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan and to suggest ways for substantial improvement in participation of the private sector and civil society organizations for effective implementation. Launched on Gandhi Jayanti, the 2nd October, 2014 by the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, the Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan has fixed the target of making India free from open defecation by 2019, the 150th birth anniversary year of Mahatma Gandhi.

Terms of reference for Swachh Bharat Sub-Group set financial, institutional and technological mandates; report due soon. The Sub-Group, convened by the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh and coordinated by the CEO of NITI Aayog, is mandated to examine financial requirements, propose robust institutional mechanisms, and recommend technological support for solid and liquid waste management. A Working Group with one member from each Sub-Group State will collect best practices and technologies from member and non-member States. The Sub-Group must evaluate private sector participation and civil society engagement, adopt sustainable campaign-mode approaches, work out budgetary needs, involve central ministries, and submit a consolidated report within the specified timeframe.