The Ministry of Urban Development (MoUD) in India has entered into partnerships with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to support the Swachh Bharat Clean India Mission. This initiative, launched by the Government of India on October 2, 2014, aims to improve sanitation across urban areas.
The MoUD formalized these collaborations through a Memorandum of Understanding with USAID and a Memorandum of Cooperation with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The agreements focus on providing sustainable sanitation solutions, eliminating open defecation, and managing human waste effectively.
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation will offer technical and management support to ensure the successful implementation of urban sanitation programs. This includes establishing a national Program Management Unit within the MoUD.
USAID's role involves creating a knowledge partnership with the MoUD to identify best practices, enhance technical capabilities, and promote public-private partnerships centered on sanitation. Additionally, USAID will integrate its efforts with India's "Smart Cities" initiative to emphasize water and sanitation as key components of sustainable urban development.
"The Swachh Bharat Mission seeks to realize the Government’s vision of a clean and developed India by 2019," said Shri Venkaiah Naidu, Minister of Urban Development. "We will work together with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and USAID to ensure every city and town in India has a world-class, affordable waste management system."
Girindre Beeharry, India Country Director at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, stated: "At the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation we believe that overcoming India’s sanitation challenge is critical to enable every child...to survive and thrive."
John Beed, USAID Mission Director remarked: “USAID is honored to be supporting the Swachh Bharat Clean India Campaign...We are committed to working with...the private sector...to strengthen water and sanitation services across urban India."
According to World Bank estimates, poor sanitation contributes to over 200,000 deaths annually in India due to diarrheal diseases. The Swachh Bharat Mission aims for significant improvements in public health by 2019 through these collaborative efforts.