Government Extends Swachh Bharat Mission (Rural) Phase II Until March 2028

The Indian government has officially extended the Swachh Bharat Mission (Rural) Phase II until March 2028, aiming to enhance rural sanitation. With a proposed budget of ₹7,000 crores for the upcoming fiscal year, the initiative seeks to ensure that all remaining villages achieve 'ODF Plus' status. This extension follows a series of previous deadlines, reflecting the government's commitment to improving sanitation across the nation. The finance ministry has clarified that no further extensions will be granted beyond this date, emphasizing the urgency of the initiative. As of now, a significant number of villages have already been declared 'ODF Plus', showcasing progress in rural sanitation efforts.

By Narendra Chaudhary Nov 4, 2026, 18:39 IST

Extension of Swachh Bharat Mission

In New Delhi, the central government has announced an extension of its ambitious 'Swachh Bharat Mission (Rural) Phase II' until March 2028. This extension comes with plans to allocate approximately ₹7,000 crores for this significant initiative in the upcoming 2027-28 central budget. The Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation, under the Ministry of Jal Shakti, had requested the finance ministry to extend the timeline of the scheme, which has now received official approval.

According to the ministry's directives, the Drinking Water and Sanitation Department must ensure that all remaining villages achieve the necessary 'ODF Plus' status by the end of March 2028 within the allocated financial resources. An 'ODF Plus' village is defined as one that not only maintains its open defecation-free status but also has robust systems for solid and liquid waste management and appears visually clean.

The finance ministry has made it clear that no further extensions will be granted for this scheme beyond March 31, 2028.

The central cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved the second phase of this scheme on February 19, 2020. Initially, the goal was to complete it by the fiscal year 2024-25, which was later extended to March 2027, coinciding with the 15th Finance Commission's term, and now it has been pushed back by another year. According to official dashboard data, out of a total of 586,000 villages in the country, 570,000 have already been declared 'ODF Plus'.

In 2020, the central government approved a total expenditure of ₹1,40,881 crores for this scheme, with ₹52,497 crores to be directly allocated from the budget of the Drinking Water and Sanitation Department. The remaining funds were to be sourced from the 15th Finance Commission, MGNREGS, and revenue models from solid and liquid waste management. Between the fiscal years 2020-21 and 2025-26, ₹28,726 crores have already been spent from the department's budget, while ₹7,192 crores have been allocated for the current fiscal year 2026-27. Under the financial framework of the scheme, the contribution from the center and states for northeastern states, Himalayan states, and Jammu and Kashmir is in a 90:10 ratio, while for other states, it is 60:40, and for Union Territories, the entire amount is borne by the central government.