Two-Day National Review Meeting for Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban 2.0 Held in New Delhi

📌 Summary:

• The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs held a two-day National Review of Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban (SBM-U) 2.0 at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi, on 19-20 May 2026, chaired by Union Minister Manohar Lal

• Progress: 97% of wards are now covered under door-to-door waste collection; waste processing has improved from 16% (2014) to 81% (2026)

• Legacy waste: 65% of 26 crore metric tonnes across 2,482 dumpsites has been remediated, reclaiming nearly 9,000 acres of urban land

• New Solid Waste Management (SWM) Rules in force from 1 April 2026 mandate a shift from 2-way to mandatory 4-stream source segregation (wet, dry, sanitary and domestic hazardous) and apply the Polluter Pays Principle

• States were directed to update progress daily on the Swachhata Portal; emphasis was placed on behavioural change ('Swabhav Swachhata, Sanskar Swachhata') and integrating cleanliness into school curricula

• The Minister stressed strong political ownership by Chief Ministers and Development Ministers, and a 'Whole of Government' approach towards Viksit Bharat 2047

• The review was part of a cascaded mechanism preceding PRAGATI (Pro-Active Governance and Timely Implementation)

🎯 UPSC Relevance: GS1 — urbanisation and urban sanitation; GS2 — cooperative federalism in scheme implementation; GS3 — environment, pollution and waste management.

📝 Prelims Facts:

• SBM-Urban 2.0 is implemented by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs

• New Solid Waste Management Rules came into force on 1 April 2026

• 4-stream source segregation = wet, dry, sanitary and domestic hazardous waste

• Waste processing rose from 16% (2014) to 81% (2026)

🔑 Key Term: Polluter Pays Principle — an environmental policy principle under which the party responsible for generating pollution bears the cost of managing and remedying it.