Description

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Picture Courtesy: PIB

Context:

India launches its largest rural sanitation survey to assess and rank villages under SBM-G Phase II.

Swachh Survekshan Grameen (SSG) 2025

It is India’s largest rural sanitation survey, launched on May 29, 2025, in Delhi by the Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation (DDWS) under the Ministry of Jal Shakti.

It aims to check and rank the cleanliness and sanitation levels in 21,000 villages across 761 districts in 34 states and Union Territories (UTs).

The survey builds on the Swachh Bharat Mission-Gramin (SBM-G) Phase II, focusing on sustaining the Open Defecation Free (ODF) Plus Model. This model ensures villages not only stop open defecation but also manage waste effectively and maintain hygiene.

What Does SSG 2025 Measure?

SSG 2025 evaluates rural sanitation through four key areas:

Service-Level Progress (SLP): Districts submit self-assessment reports, which are verified online to confirm if villages meet ODF Plus Model standards. This checks if villages have sustained their cleanliness achievements.
Direct Observation of Sanitation Status: Surveyors visit sampled villages to observe households, schools, public buildings, and community spaces like markets and religious places. They assess cleanliness and hygiene levels.
Functionality of Sanitation Infrastructure: The survey checks if facilities like Plastic Waste Management Units (PWMUs), Faecal Sludge Management (FSM) plants, and GOBARdhan plants (which convert cow dung into biogas and fertilizer) work properly.
Citizen Feedback: People share their views through a dedicated mobile app and face-to-face interactions. This ensures the survey reflects community experiences and promotes public involvement.

These areas combine to create a composite score, ranking states, UTs, and districts on sanitation performance. To ensure accurate data, the survey uses geo-fencing and a mobile app for feedback.

The ODF Plus Model is a key part of SBM-G Phase II. It goes beyond stopping open defecation (ODF) by ensuring villages manage solid and liquid waste, maintain toilets, and keep public spaces clean. For example, it checks if households and schools have functional toilets, and if villages have minimal litter and stagnant water. SSG 2025 verifies if villages sustain these standards, making cleanliness a lasting reality.

Highlights from Past Surveys

Top Performers: Telangana led among larger states (score: 971.62), followed by Haryana and Tamil Nadu. Among smaller states/UTs, Andaman and Nicobar Islands ranked first (903.52).
Scale: It covered 17,559 villages, 709 districts, and included 1,78,736 citizen feedbacks and 87,560 key informant interactions.
Infrastructure Checked: Surveyors assessed 14,408 Panchayat Bhawans, 16,797 schools, 16,654 Anganwadi centers, and more.

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Source:

PIB

PRACTICE QUESTION

Q. Analyze the interlinkages between sanitation, public health, and economic productivity. Can improving sanitation be considered a catalyst for national growth? 150 words