India Budget 2019: While schemes such as Swachh Bharat Abhiyan are nearing completion, the Narendra Modi led government has set new goals for the scheme, said Nirmala Sitharaman in her maiden budget speech. Announcing that the government now looks to leverage technology, waste will now be used to generate energy, the finance minister said in the speech. “I now propose to expand the Swachh Bharat Mission to undertake sustainable solid waste management in every village,” she said. Talking about the success that Swachh Bharat Mission has achieved so far, Nirmala Sitharaman said that the scheme, which was initiated in 2014, has achieved tremendous success with more than 5.6 lakh of villages becoming Open Defecation Free (ODF). She also said that the government will have to build on this success.
In the Budget Economic Survey released on Thursday, there was a prominent mention of Swachh Bharat Mission, indicating that the government wishes to have continued focus on it. While the scheme has achieved 99% of its target, the government has renewed the scheme with an additional goal. However, the Economic Survey did not find mention of solid waste management and energy conversion. Volume 1 of the Economic Survey said that the while construction of toilets is one part of a clean India campaign, there are various other facets as well like 100% disposal of solid and liquid waste; cleaning of rivers; treatment of industrial surface cleaning; rural sanitation; riverfront development; afforestation and biodiversity conservation.
Also, it added that Narendra Modi’s flagship program also needs to incorporate environmental and water management issues for long term sustainability and improvements. “Investment in the toilet and sanitation infrastructure in future demands incorporation of principles of sustainability, circular economy, and adoption of eco-friendly sanitation technologies,” the Budget Economic Survey said.
Earlier, PM’s advisor Ashima Goyal had said that as the government will soon wrap up the schemes from Narendra Modi’s earlier tenure, government spending on the same will decrease.