Union Budget 2021–22: Implications on Solid Waste Management
The Union Budget 2021–22 builds on six pillars — health and well-being, physical and financial capital and infrastructure, inclusive development for aspirational India, reinvigorating human capital, innovation, and R&D, and ‘Minimum Government, Maximum Governance’. With one of the pillars of the budget focusing on health and well-being, the budget highlights the importance of having access to clean water and sanitation along with a cleaner environment. This commitment is reflected in the fact that 60% of the grants to the local bodies (for the Year 2021–26) in non-million-plus cities are linked to sanitation and drinking water. It is pertinent to note that the total fund allocated to the local bodies amounts to ₹ 3.37 trillion (for the Year 2021–26) with the share of Rural local bodies being ₹2.36 trillion and that of Urban local bodies being ₹1.21 trillion.
To drive the actions in the fields of sanitation and drinking water, the Government has launched the schemes of Swachh Bharat Mission (Urban) 2.0 and Jal Jeevan Mission. The Swachh Bharat Mission (Urban) 2.0 shall be implemented over five years (2021–2026) with an outlay of ₹1.41 lakh crore. Thrust areas under the Swachh Bharat Mission 2 include complete fecal sludge management, wastewater treatment, a shift from ODF to ODF + and ODF++, source segregation of garbage, reduction in single-use plastic, construction-and-demolition waste management, and bioremediation of all legacy dumpsites. Moreover, the launch of the Jal Jeevan Mission with an outlay of ₹ 2.87 lakh crores for five years will catalyze the movement towards achieving SDG 6 by 2030.
In summary, the Union Budget 2021–22 offers promising actions and numerous opportunities in the field of sanitation and drinking water for ensuring a clean, sustainable and hygienic environment.
Contributed By- Anirudh Pandav, Manager (Solid Waste Management) at Social Lab
Social Lab Environmental Solutions is a waste management company, which helps brands take-back and scientifically dispose of post-consumer plastic waste of their products. Brands take our services to fulfill Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) obligation under Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2018.
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