Four years of Modi govt: Swachh Bharat Mission sees slip-ups

The fifth part of the series on the NDA govt's flagship programmes analyses the Centre's mission

Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the Swachh Bharat Mission in October 2014, setting the template in place for the way the National Democratic Alliance government would launch, promote and implement its social schemes on a grand scale.

The mission with two components — urban and rural — is to ensure an open defecation-free country by October 2, 2019. That required, as rightly listed from the beginning, two essential tasks to be done. The infrastructure had to be put in place — toilets in the households, and solid and liquid treatment and handling facilities at the back end. And, then a