The Swachh Bharat Mission is vital for India as well as the World, said Vice-President, Venkaiah Naidu, during the Closing Technical Plenary of the Mahatma Gandhi International Sanitation Convention, organized by the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation which saw participation of Minister of Sanitation from over fifty countries. The Minister of Drinking Water and Sanitation, Sushree Uma Bharti, and Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Yogi Adityanath, also addressed the plenary along with other national and international experts today. Tomorrow, Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, will preside over the launch of Mahatma Gandhi’s 150th birth year celebrations, also marking the beginning of the final year of the Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM).Naidu’s remarks at the end of the day put the Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) squarely in focus: "The mission is very important in the history of the country, and for the history of the globe". He praised the behavior change focus of SBM and the special role of Swachhagrahis – local sanitation champions – in keeping sanitation at the forefront in communities throughout the country. The focus has enabled more than 400 million people to shun open defecation in the last four years.The day began with a focus on the link between the Swachh Bharat Mission and the global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Ms. Uma Bharati, Minister, Drinking Water and Sanitation, India, presided over an opening session on the topic, joined by Mr. DevendraFadnavis, Chief Minister, Maharashtra and Ms. Henrietta Fore, Executive Director, UNICEF. Mr. Fadnavis spoke on the focus given to behavior change in the implementation of SBM in Maharashtra State. He attributed the success of SBM in Maharashtra to Prime Minister’s leadership and investment made on sanitation. "When everyone saw our own Prime Minister taking a broom in his hand, it became a cleanliness revolution,” he said. Ms. Fore praised the massive progress made under Swachh Bharat Mission and complimented India for ensuring sanitation for 86 million households in rural areas.During the Ministerial Dialogues, participants exchanged views on building political will for sanitation, ensuring adequate financing and taking steps required to work at scale and reach universal access. They exchanged views on topics including the value of South-South collaboration; sanitation as a driver of peace and economic growth; engaging diverse stakeholders, from parliamentarians to civil society; ensuring clear ministerial or departmental leadership for sanitation; long-term planning; valuing human waste as a resource (fertilizer, biogas); and the importance of public-private partnerships around sanitation.Reflecting on the Ministerial dialogues organized as part of the convention, one Minister said, “I will link sanitation to pride, as India has done with SBM’s positive ‘Clean India’”.
\Another said, “I will walk away from this convention with a better understanding of how to talk about sanitation”. Finally, one said, “Disease is our enemy; I will put ending open defecation alongside a national [disease] prevention drive”.In the plenary on financing for sanitation, the speakers focused on the case for public spending on sanitation through budgetary allocations, as well as other financing strategies, ways of raising additional financing from domestic resource mobilization, sanitation credit, and other innovative strategies. Mr. Suleiman H. Adamu,Minister of Water Resources, Nigeria, said that rural financial institutions for households and small businesses, community savings and credit groups, and national and state revolving funds, are all promising approaches. Mr. Amitabh Kant, CEO, NITI Aayog, said “India has made massive. Public investment on sanitation to ensure that people realize sustainable sanitation and hygiene benefits”. Mr. Richard Damania, Lead Economist, Water Global Practice, World Bank, lauded India as a successful example of combining public investments and behavior change efforts in sanitation. He cited the well-known statistic that $1 invested in sanitation generates $5 in return.In the closing technical plenary today, Mr. Yogi Adityanath, Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, India, noted that “sanitation is important for dignity of women”.
"The story doesn't end with open defecation,” said Minister Bharti. “We look forward to sustaining this cleanliness with ‘ODF Plus’.” Mr. ParameswaranIyer, Secretary, Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation, India, said the MGISC was a strong testament to India’s collective commitment to achieving the SDGs. “I believe this international convention will serve as a platform for collaboration in the future”, he said. Echoing Mr. Damania’s earlier remarks, Mr. Hartwig Schafer, Vice President, South Asia Region, World Bank praised the Prime Minister, Shri NarendraModi, for making available the needed funds to ensure sanitation for all. He said “Investing in sanitation is one of the best investments we can make in the field of development” while Ms. Jean Gough, Regional Director, UNICEF, recognized India’s momentum: “We have seen the greatest increase in the use of toilets in the last one decade because India broke the silence and made cleanliness a political priority". Ms. Pamela Tshwete, Deputy Minister of Water and Sanitation, South Africa, said she drew inspiration from India’s accomplishments.