•The Swachh Bharat (Clean India) Mission (SBM) was launched in 2014 with the goal of achieving universal sanitation coverage by 2019, as a tribute to the 150th Birth Anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.
•It aims to make the country Open Defecation Free (ODF).
•It consisted of two sub-missions, urban, and rural or Gramin (G).
•SBM(G) sought to improve “the levels of cleanliness through Solid and Liquid Waste Management activities and making Gram Panchayats Open Defecation Free (ODF), clean and sanitized.
•SBM(G) and SBM (Urban) 2.0 commenced in 2021 and is expected to run till 2026.
•The World Health Organisation (WHO) reported a significant decline in diarrhoea-related fatalities, with 300,000 fewer deaths in 2019 compared to 2014, attributed to enhanced sanitation facilities.
•The mission has also contributed to reductions in malaria, stillbirth rates, and low birth weights among children under five.