Centre releases Swachh Bharat 2.0 and AMRUT guidelines

In the second phase of the Swachh Bharat Mission and AMRUT, the Centre plans to free up 15,000 acres of land currently used as dumping grounds and provide 24x7 water supply to households in 500 cities across India, according to the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.

On Wednesday, the ministry released operational guidelines for the second phase of two of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's flagship initiatives, which he announced on October 1.

Housing and urban affairs minister Hardeep Singh Puri at the event said that both missions' second phases are aimed at transforming the country into a clean one. They have increased waste processing capacity from 17% in 2014 to 70% now, intending to reach 100%. According to third-party verification, the country became Open Defecation Free (ODF) in 2019. There is only one city in West Bengal that is still ODF-free Purulia.

Durga Shanker Mishra, secretary of the housing ministry, said that they have freed up nearly 3,500 acres of land under dumpsites, out of a total of 15,000 acres. During the second phase, the goal is to clear the entire area and turn it into green zones.

Puri informed that the AMRUT mission has been expanded to include all cities.

According to Puri, the first phase of the AMRUT mission only covered 60% of the country.

An official told the media that the government's AMRUT 2.0 initiative aims to make cities water secure by providing a 24x7 water supply in 500 cities and providing incentives to all local governments for their efforts to provide tap connections to every household. The government intends to install nearly three crore tap connections. The mission's goal is to provide water security to 4,700 towns and cities.

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