WB injects $1.5-bn in SBM mission

In a major morale booster to the ongoing Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM), the World Bank has recently injected a staggering sum worth $1.5 billion and to this effect the Government of India and the World Bank have signed a loan agreement to support the Government of India initiative. Among other things, the mission has been aimed at to ensure that all citizens in the rural areas have access to improved sanitation with a focus on changing behavior and building toilets to do away with the practice of using open air as toilets by 2019. The loan agreement for the project was signed by Joint Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance, Raj Kumar on behalf of the Government of India and World Bank Country Director, India, Onno Ruhl. The Government of India's SBM is the country's largest-ever drive to improve sanitation. The project will promote behaviour change among rural communities and help to deliver results in Indian states by giving performance-based incentives.