Union Cabinet approved World Bank’s $1500 million support to Swachh Bharat Mission - Gramin

Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 23 March 2016 approved the 1500 million US dollar project of World Bank to support Swachh Bharat Mission - Gramin (SBM-G).

The approval seeks to provide for the mechanism of incentivisation of States under the SBM-G through World Bank credit.   The incentivisation of the States on the basis of their performance under the SBM-G was approved by the Union Cabinet on 24 September 2014.

Disbursement-Linked Indicators (DLIs)

Under the project, the performance of the States will be gauged through certain performance indicators, called the Disbursement-Linked Indicators (DLIs). Following are three DLIs.

•    Reduction in the prevalence of open defecation: The funds under this result area shall be released to the States on the basis of reduction in prevalence of open defecation amongst rural households in the State, compared to the previous year.

•    Sustaining Open Defecation Free (ODF) status in Villages: The funds under this result area, shall be released on the basis of estimated population residing in ODF villages.

•    Increase in percentage of rural population served by improved Solid and Liquid Waste Management (SLWM): The funds under this will be based on the population served with acceptable level of SLWM services.

Further, the States will pass on more than 95 percent of the Performance Incentive Grant Funds to the appropriate districts, Blocks, Gram Panchayats, etc levels. The end-use of the incentive grants will be limited to activities pertaining to the sanitation sector.

What the Project will do?

•    It will accelerate efforts to achieve sustained outcomes in sanitation by 2019.
•    The incentive framework will reorient efforts of States towards the SBM-G 'outcomes'
•    It will also put in place a robust and credible independent verification system for annual measurement of improvement in rural sanitation.
•    It will support the SBM-G programme in achievement of its objectives of attaining open defecation- free and clean environment.
•    It will ensure a better quality of life for the rural population.

Background

The proposed Project is not a new scheme. It is part of the existing SBM-G, wherein Performance- based Incentive Grant Scheme is proposed to be launched through World Bank support credit funds.

The project comes in the background of acceleration of efforts under Swachh Bharat Mission - Gramin which has a goal to accelerate efforts to achieve universal sanitation coverage, improve cleanliness and eliminate open defecation in rural India by 2019.

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