India
Dates: Swachh Bharat 2014; Jal Jeevan, 2019
Announced by: H.E. Narendra Modi, Prime Minister
India has made water, sanitation and hygiene a national priority under the leadership of Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi, through two landmark programmes: the Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) and the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM).
SBM aimed to eliminate open defecation nationwide. Within five years, sanitation coverage rose from around 39% to near universal access, with over 100 million household toilets constructed contributing to safe sanitation. Driven as a Jan Andolan (people's movement), it mobilized communities and local governments to sustain behavior change at scale. Building on this, JJM was launched in 2019 to deliver tap water to every rural household. Coverage has grown from just 17% at launch to approximately 80%, adding over 120 million new household connections.
India's approach has combined strong domestic financing, real-time monitoring, and high-level political accountability, offering a powerful model for water, sanitation and hygiene transformation at scale.
HIGHLIGHTS
Ending open defecation in India (SBM)
Achieving universal access to safely managed water (JJM)
Creation of master training programme for local government agents
Public lines of credit allow involvement of the private sector
Over 100 million sanitation facilities and 120 million rural tap water connections delivered at unprecedented scale
Real-time national monitoring systems enabled continuous tracking and course correction at the highest political level
H.E. Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of the Republic of India | UN Photo/Loey Felipe