UPSC EDITORIAL ANALYSIS : The reality of the Swachh Bharat Mission
Kartavya Desk Staff
Source: The Hindu
• Prelims: Current events of international importance, SDG, covid-19, SBM etc.
• Mains GS Paper II: Social empowerment, development and management of social sectors/services related to Health, education etc
ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS
• India was ranked right at the bottom of 180 countries in the Environment Performance Index (EPI) in 2022.
INSIGHTS ON THE ISSUE
Context
Environment Performance Index (EPI):
• The EPI ranks countries on: climate change performance environmental health ecosystem vitality.
• climate change performance
• environmental health
• ecosystem vitality.
• It measures 40 performance indicators across 11 issue categories, such as air quality, and drinking water and sanitation.
Campaigns of development by the government:
• Swachh Bharat Mission(SBM)
• Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation
• Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana
• National Clean Air Programme.
Swachh Bharat Mission(SBM):
Why should EPI be linked to Government missions?
• These missions aim to enable better living standards.
• The SBM is meant to address the issue of WASH (Water, Sanitation, and Health).
• SCM is supposed to deliver on the clean energy requirements of
Issues with SBM:
• Sanitation and waste management in India are associated with the wide prevalence of caste. Historically, the subjugated castes have been forced to carry out sanitation work. The SBM tried to create a narrative that sanitation is everyone’s job. It has ended up continuing the same old caste practices.
• Historically, the subjugated castes have been forced to carry out sanitation work.
• The SBM tried to create a narrative that sanitation is everyone’s job.
• It has ended up continuing the same old caste practices.
• The SBM is a politically successful project: The entire project is governed and monitored by state agencies. Large capital-intensive technologies are promoted.
• The entire project is governed and monitored by state agencies.
• Large capital-intensive technologies are promoted.
• The Union government claims India is open defecation-free: A Comptroller and Auditor General report in 2020: It indicated the poor quality of construction of toilets under this scheme.
• A Comptroller and Auditor General report in 2020: It indicated the poor quality of construction of toilets under this scheme.
• Few urbanization studies: pointed out that in some metros, communities in slums still do not have access to public toilets. Even in rural India, toilet construction has not been linked to waste treatment.
• Even in rural India, toilet construction has not been linked to waste treatment.
• In peri-urban areas, the fecal sludge generated is tossed into the environment.
• Septic tanks are cleaned by manual scavengers and the sludge is thrown into various water systems.
• Via SBM was to reduce the involvement of people in waste management by replacing them with large, capital-intensive technologies. These installations have refused to live up to their promoters’ promises. Health crises emerging from badly managed waste.
• These installations have refused to live up to their promoters’ promises.
• Health crises emerging from badly managed waste.
• The governments outsourced most of the work to private players, who employed the same subjugated communities to handle waste.
• Solid and liquid waste management in cities: In most towns, the Union government is employing technological solutions in handling solid waste. Some of these solutions are in the form of waste-to-energy plants and biological methanation. But there are barely any success stories in either case.
• Some of these solutions are in the form of waste-to-energy plants and biological methanation.
• But there are barely any success stories in either case.
• City governments are being asked to buy more machines including road sweeping machines that cost no less than ₹1 crore More vehicles to transport the waste from one corner to another with geo-tagging, and soon. Funds are made available to the city governments for such plans. However, all this work is being handed over to large contractors entering the city domains for making sanitation a profit entity. Most of the workers employed by these contractors are Dalits. Scheme fully owned by the state has become a toolkit for the privatization of public health services and continues caste discrimination.
• More vehicles to transport the waste from one corner to another with geo-tagging, and soon.
• Funds are made available to the city governments for such plans.
• However, all this work is being handed over to large contractors entering the city domains for making sanitation a profit entity.
• Most of the workers employed by these contractors are Dalits.
• Scheme fully owned by the state has become a toolkit for the privatization of public health services and continues caste discrimination.
Case study(Shimla):
• The Himachal Pradesh High Court, the Urban Development Department said that there are just five sanitation inspectors in the Shimla Municipal Corporation, which comprises 34 wards. Instead of recruiting more such inspectors, this cadre is being declared dead after they retire.
• Instead of recruiting more such inspectors, this cadre is being declared dead after they retire.
• There are more than 50 municipal bodies, there are only 20 sanitation inspectors There are some municipalities that have no sanitation inspectors.
• There are some municipalities that have no sanitation inspectors.
Way Forward
• There are problems associated with most of the programmes. Such failures have been dragging down India’s EPI performance.
• Such failures have been dragging down India’s EPI performance.
• The EPI may be quite comprehensive: Features of mapping exposes the unsustainability of our development processes. The development models must be altered.
• Features of mapping exposes the unsustainability of our development processes.
• The development models must be altered.
• The EPI must be seen in the background of a recent judgment where the Supreme Court observed the links between climate change and basic human rights.
• Phase II of the SBM-G does not seem to have given enough thought to social engineering through the social networks in a society haunted by regressive norms and caste hierarchy The spurt in coverage has triggered awareness regarding safe sanitation practices.
• The spurt in coverage has triggered awareness regarding safe sanitation practices.
• Behavioral change in sanitation cannot happen independently. It is contingent upon social networks and an overall improvement of living standards, including better housing and access to basic services.
• It is contingent upon social networks and an overall improvement of living standards, including better housing and access to basic services.
• SDGs are a matter of urgency, and actions by all countries, both developed and developing, to end poverty and other socio-economic and environmental problems Countries should align with strategies that improve the standard of life and education, reduce inequality, and harness economic growth.
• Countries should align with strategies that improve the standard of life and education, reduce inequality, and harness economic growth.
QUESTION FOR PRACTICE
Reforming the government delivery system through the Direct Benefit Transfer Scheme is a progressive step, but it has its limitations too. Comment.(UPSC 2022) (200 WORDS, 10 MARKS)
Editorial Analysis – 25 April 2024