Union Minister Manohar Lal Reviews Swachh Bharat Mission Progress in Jharkhand, Sets Targets for Delayed Projects

Union Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs and Power Manohar Lal chaired a review meeting on the implementation of the Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban (SBM-U) in Jharkhand, expressing concern over the low utilisation of funds and delays in key sanitation and waste management projects.

The meeting was attended by Jharkhand Urban Development Minister Sudivya Kumar, senior officials from the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, and representatives of the state government.

During the review, the Union Minister highlighted the slow pace of expenditure under SBM-U and sought explanations for delays in the execution of various projects. Detailed discussions were held on pending initiatives related to used water management, construction of toilets and urinals, Material Recovery Facilities (MRFs), and waste-to-compost projects.

Following the review, specific monitorable targets were fixed for each project category. The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs and the Jharkhand government will closely monitor progress against these targets to ensure timely implementation.

Manohar Lal also briefed state officials on the recently launched Urban Challenge Fund and urged Jharkhand to submit proposals under the scheme as well as under SBM-U 2.0 to accelerate urban infrastructure and sanitation improvements.

The state government assured the Centre that all necessary measures would be taken to expedite the implementation of projects sanctioned under SBM-U 2.0 and improve overall mission performance.

Reiterating the Centre's commitment to urban cleanliness and sanitation, the Union Minister said the government remains focused on achieving visible and sustainable cleanliness outcomes across urban areas of Jharkhand in line with the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.