New Delhi: Seeking people's participation in the sanitation drive, the government on Thursday said Swachh Bharat Mission should become a public movement to make it a complete success.
"Prime Minister Narendra Modi has brought the Swachh Bharat Mission on the forefront. We are not blaming anybody but we have taken up it as a challenge," Urban Development Minister Venkaiah Naidu said here at a sanitation conference organised by CII.
On the recent proposal of imposing Swachh cess, Naidu said the government will examine the proposal and then decide.
Against the target of construction of 25 lakh individual household toilets by March 2016, over 4 lakh have already been constructed and work on 12 lakh toilets is currently in progress.
"We want to take it up as a Jan Andolan and it is taking the form of public movement," he said. Highlighting the prevailing condition, Naidu said there are houses without toilets, schools without toilets and there is need for a special focus on girl schools.
"Unless people's participation in the programme, public sector or private sector alone will not solve the problem," he said, adding, "There is a need for changing the mindset. We have to make it a Jan Andolan with people's participation."
According to an estimate, for implementing SBM there is need for capital expenditure upto 2019 and cost of operations and maintenance for 10 years thereafter is Rs 8.93 lakh crore.
Niti Ayog has formed a sub-committee headed by Andhra CM Chandrababu Naidu. The sub-committee has recommended imposing Swachh Bharat cess to continue the sanitation drive including construction of toilets and cleanliness.
"It is a suggestion only. Now the government will examine it and then decide. The proposal will come to NITI Ayog and then the Cabinet to take a decision," he said.
He said the cleanliness campaign has to be carried out on a mission mode. "There should be participation of all concerned including the public. There is also a need to encourage those who are doing good work on the sanitation front. The thing which could not have been done for the last so many years cannot be expected to be done in a year or two," the minister said.
