NEW DELHI: The Centre has prepared an intensive monitoring standard operating procedure (SOP) for 50 prominent cities across the country to accelerate sustained cleanliness outcomes under the Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) 2.0, a flagship programme to make all cities garbage-free and ensure sustainable sanitation and waste management.
Under the framework, the targets have been set for time-bound cleanliness to ensure 100 percent door-to-door garbage collection, at least 90 percent waste segregation and complete remediation of legacy dumpsites within a year.
The model framework covers 50 cities of economic, heritage, pilgrimage, tourism and administrative significance such as Tirupati, Delhi, Panaji, Bengaluru, Mysuru, Thiruvananthapuram, Mumbai, Agra, Mathura and Varanasi. The cities were identified through the ‘PRAGATI-50’ initiative.
Following review of SBM 2.0 in the meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, PRAGATI-50 initiative was announced in September and directions were issued to identify 50 cities for intensive and regular monitoring through technology-enabled review mechanisms. Consequently, the SOP has been drawn to facilitate systematic implementation of the initiative.
According to the officials, the selected cities will serve as demonstration towns and the Department of Urban Development (DoUD) of the ministry of housing and urban affairs (MoHUA) will closely monitor the performance of these cities through a technology-enabled dashboard, independent third-party assessments and periodic reviews by senior officials.
The SOP prescribes mandatory and aspirational benchmarks, covering solid waste management, visible cleanliness, sanitation, used water management and citizen participation. The cities will be assessed against short-term (six months), medium-term (six to 12 months) and long-term (12 to 24 months) targets. Six month is the deadline to achieve 75 percent remediation and within 12 months, all legacy dumpsites identified should be cleared.
The secretary, MoHUA has sent to the chief secretaries of states and administrators of union territories seeking their active support to achieve the targets.
The officials said that Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) would be intensively and regularly monitored through a PRAGATI like technology enabled platform. “A third-party agency appointed by the DoUD under MoHUA will undertake regular assessment to independently validate the data reported by cities and ensure its accuracy and reliability. A dedicated Group of Officers constituted by the MoHUA will be assigned specific cities for regular monitoring, field supervision, and handholding support to ensure effective implementation and achievement of programme objectives,” said officials.
PRAGATI (Pro-Active Governance and Timely Implementation) is Government’s multi-purpose platform, which is designed to fast-track stalled infrastructure projects, monitor central and state schemes, and resolve public grievances.
