Flagship rural sanitation scheme extended, set to receive Rs 7,000 crore in Budget
Swachh Bharat Mission (Grameen) Phase-II was originally approved until March 2027. It has now been extended to March 2028, changing both the implementation deadline and the budget window for the rural sanitation programme. This matters because thousands of villages still need to meet the ODF Plus standard. The extension allows the government to allocate around Rs 7,000 crore for the scheme in the Union Budget 2027-28. The Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation must use the programme’s overall outlay to help remaining villages achieve certification. ODF Plus requires more than ending open defecation. The dashboard records 5.70 lakh of 5.86 lakh villages as ODF Plus. The remaining villages must receive certificates by March 31, 2028. The Finance Ministry has said that no further extension beyond that date will be considered.
What has changed now that Swachh Bharat Mission (Grameen) Phase II has been extended to March 2028?
Swachh Bharat Mission (Grameen) Phase-II was originally approved until March 2027. It has now been extended to March 2028, changing both the implementation deadline and the budget window for the rural sanitation programme. This matters because thousands of villages still need to meet the ODF Plus standard.
The extension allows the government to allocate around Rs 7,000 crore for the scheme in the Union Budget 2027-28. The Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation must use the programme’s overall outlay to help remaining villages achieve certification. ODF Plus requires more than ending open defecation.
The dashboard records 5.70 lakh of 5.86 lakh villages as ODF Plus. The remaining villages must receive certificates by March 31, 2028. The Finance Ministry has said that no further extension beyond that date will be considered.
What does an “ODF Plus” village mean?
An ODF Plus village is not simply one where people have stopped defecating in the open. The Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation defines it as a village that sustains its ODF status, ensures solid and liquid waste management, and is visually clean. The definition broadens sanitation from toilet access to daily environmental upkeep.
For example, a village can qualify only if it continues to remain open-defecation free and also manages the waste produced by households and community activities. Solid waste and liquid waste are both part of the standard. Clean surroundings are another required element, so certification reflects several conditions together.
This standard is central to Phase-II of the mission. The dashboard records 5.70 lakh villages as ODF Plus out of 5.86 lakh. Remaining villages must obtain certificates by March 31, 2028, within the scheme’s available outlay.
How many of India’s rural villages have achieved ODF Plus status, and how many still remain?
According to the scheme’s dashboard, 5.70 lakh of 5.86 lakh villages have been declared ODF Plus. This means most villages covered by the programme have reached the stated standard, which combines sustained ODF status with waste management and visual cleanliness.
The remaining number is found by subtracting 5.70 lakh from 5.86 lakh. That leaves 0.16 lakh villages, equivalent to about 16,000 villages. These villages still need to meet the requirements and receive their ODF Plus certificates.
The extension to March 2028 gives the Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation additional time to complete this work. The Finance Ministry’s order sets March 31, 2028 as the final deadline. It also makes clear that no further time extension will be considered after that date.
What must the Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation accomplish by March 31, 2028, and what happens if villages do not meet the target?
The Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation must ensure that all remaining villages achieve the required ODF Plus status within the programme’s overall outlay. This means villages must sustain ODF conditions, manage solid and liquid waste, and remain visually clean before receiving certification.
The department’s task is therefore both administrative and practical. It must help complete the remaining work and ensure that villages receive ODF Plus certificates. The scheme’s dashboard shows 5.70 lakh declared villages out of 5.86 lakh, leaving about 16,000 villages to be covered.
The deadline is March 31, 2028. The Finance Ministry’s order explicitly states that no further time extension beyond that date will be considered. The article does not specify a separate penalty for villages that miss the target, but they would remain uncertified after the final deadline.
How will the planned Rs 7,000 crore be used, and how is the broader sanitation programme financed?
The planned Rs 7,000 crore is linked to the extended rural sanitation programme in the Union Budget 2027-28. The article does not provide a component-by-component spending breakdown. It indicates that the funding will support the mission’s remaining work, including the effort to bring villages to ODF Plus status by March 2028.
The broader programme was approved with an overall outlay of Rs 1,40,881 crore. Of this, Rs 52,497 crore was to come from the Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation’s budget. The rest was planned through funds dovetailed from other public programmes and revenue models.
Those sources include the 15th Finance Commission, the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme, and revenue generation models, especially for solid and liquid waste management. DDWS spent Rs 28,726 crore from 2020-21 to 2025-26, while Rs 7,192 crore was allocated for 2026-27.
Who pays for the programme in different parts of India, and what roles do the Centre, states and local governments play?
Under Swachh Bharat Mission (Grameen)-II, the Centre and states share the cost of all components according to location. The Centre pays 90 percent and states 10 percent in northeastern and Himalayan states, including Jammu and Kashmir. Other states follow a 60:40 Centre-state ratio.
Union Territories receive 100 percent central funding, with no state share. The Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation, under the Ministry of Jal Shakti, manages the programme at the central level and must ensure the remaining villages achieve ODF Plus certification.
The article shows that states share programme costs and that the wider financing also draws on Finance Commission and MGNREGS funds. It does not spell out separate payment responsibilities for local governments. It describes the target at village level, while DDWS carries the stated responsibility for completing certification across remaining villages.
Why do sanitation programmes need to address not only toilets and open defecation, but also solid waste, liquid waste and village cleanliness?
The mission’s ODF Plus definition shows why sanitation must go beyond toilets. A village must sustain its open-defecation-free status, manage solid and liquid waste, and remain visually clean. These conditions address the wider cleanliness of the village rather than only one sanitation behaviour.
For example, a village may remain ODF but still have unmanaged household waste, wastewater or visibly dirty surroundings. Under the ODF Plus standard, that village has not met the full requirement. Solid waste management and liquid waste management are therefore explicit parts of certification, not optional additions.
This broader approach matters because Phase-II is judged by a continuing village condition. The dashboard records 5.70 lakh ODF Plus villages out of 5.86 lakh. The remaining villages must achieve the combined standard and receive certificates by March 31, 2028.
This brief was written by AI from the original reporting and checked by other models. Names, figures and quotes come from the source; read it for full context.
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