RTI to Audit Swachh Bharat Mission Funds

Ramesh lives in a ward that was declared Open Defecation Free two years ago. The government board at the bus stop still says “ODF” in big green letters. But every morning, Ramesh walks past the same broken community toilet, locked since the day it was built, and sees people going to the open field behind the school. The Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) spent money here. A toilet was built on paper. On the ground, it does not work.

Ramesh is not alone. Across India, citizens see the same gap: big scheme budgets, bold declarations, and broken or missing facilities. The Swachh Bharat Mission is one of the country's largest sanitation programmes, running in two arms — Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban (SBM-U) for cities and towns, and Swachh Bharat Mission-Grameen (SBM-G) for villages. Both move thousands of crores of public money every year. When that money does not match the work on the ground, the Right to Information Act, 2005 is the tool a common citizen uses to trace it.

This guide shows you, step by step, how to use RTI to audit Swachh Bharat funds in your area — where to file, what to ask, what fee to pay, how to appeal, and how to turn the paper trail into proof.

Knowing the scheme structure tells you which office holds the records you want. Filing to the wrong arm is the most common reason RTI replies get delayed or rejected.

Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban (SBM-U 2.0) is run by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA). SBM-U 2.0 was launched on 1 October 2021, and its Operational Guidelines were released on 27 October 2021. On 12 October 2021 the Union Cabinet approved the continuation of SBM-U till 2025-26 with a total outlay of Rs.1,41,600 crore (central share Rs.36,465 crore). Its goals are demanding: every statutory town must reach at least ODF+ status, towns with a population below one lakh must reach ODF++, and all cities must achieve at least a 3-star Garbage Free certification. The fund-sharing between Centre and State changes with city size — 50:50 for cities under one lakh, 33:67 for cities between one and ten lakh, and 25:75 for million-plus cities.

Swachh Bharat Mission-Grameen Phase-II is run by a completely different ministry — the Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation (DDWS), Ministry of Jal Shakti. It was approved till 2024-25 with a total outlay of Rs.1,40,881 crore. Its focus is sustaining ODF status and achieving ODF Plus through Solid and Liquid Waste Management. The incentive for an Individual Household Latrine (IHHL) is Rs.12,000 per household. Fund-sharing here is 90:10 for North-Eastern and Himalayan states and 60:40 for other states.

The rule of thumb: if your problem is in a city or town, the records sit with the Urban Local Body and the State SBM-U Mission under MoHUA. If your problem is in a village, the records sit with the Gram Panchayat, the Block, and the State SBM-G Mission under the Ministry of Jal Shakti. In both cases, the District Magistrate is also a competent public authority for district-level scheme records.

Three legal pillars support your RTI on SBM funds.

1. Section 4(1)(b) of the RTI Act, 2005 — proactive disclosure. This section makes it mandatory for every public authority to publish, on its own, the details of its subsidy programmes — including beneficiary aggregates and scheme-wise expenditure. Swachh Bharat fund utilisation data is exactly this kind of public subsidy programme record. The Central Information Commission has consistently taken the position that scheme and utilisation records of this kind fall within the scope of Section 4 proactive disclosure; the citizen is not even asking for a favour, only for what the law says must already be public. See CIC on PM-scheme fund disclosure for the reasoning the Commission applies to centrally-sponsored scheme records.

2. The Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016. These rules were notified by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) vide S.O. 1357(E) dated 8 April 2016, under sections 3, 6 and 25 of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986. They superseded the older Municipal Solid Waste (Management and Handling) Rules, 2000. They place clear duties on municipalities for waste collection, segregation, processing and disposal — duties that SBM-U money is meant to fund. When a city claims a Garbage Free star rating, these rules are the benchmark.

3. The Almitra Patel case. The legal push for binding municipal waste rules began with a landmark public interest litigation — Almitra H. Patel and Another vs Union of India and Others, decided by the Supreme Court on 15 February 2000 (citations AIR 2000 SC 1256 and (2000) 2 SCC 679, Writ Petition (Civil) No. 888 of 1996). The Court's direction in this case led to the first MSW Rules of 2000, the ancestor of today's 2016 Rules. Citing this case in your RTI application or appeal shows the PIO that solid waste management accountability is not a new idea — it is settled, court-driven public duty.

This is where most citizens slip. SBM funds flow through several layers, and each layer holds different records.

1. For an urban issue (broken community toilet, uncollected garbage, false ODF+ claim in a town): file one RTI to the State SBM-U Mission Director (the state-level Mission under MoHUA) and one to the District Magistrate / Collector of your district. The Urban Local Body — your municipality or municipal corporation — is the implementing agency, but the State Mission holds the consolidated fund-utilisation records and the DM holds district-level releases.
2. For a rural issue (IHHL incentive not paid, village not really ODF Plus): file to the State SBM-G Mission (under the DDWS, Ministry of Jal Shakti) and to the District Magistrate. The Gram Panchayat and Block Development Officer implement on the ground, but the State Mission and the DM hold the fund trail.

Filing to both the State Mission and the DM is deliberate. The State Mission gives you the scheme-level aggregate; the DM gives you the district-level release and utilisation. Comparing the two is how you catch the gap between money sent and money spent.

The fee depends on which public authority you file to, because the RTI Act sets the Central fee but each state fixes its own.

1. Filing to a Central Public Authority (for example, a direct application to MoHUA or the Ministry of Jal Shakti): the fee is Rs.10 under the RTI Rules, 2012.
2. Filing to a State SBM Mission or a DM (a State Public Authority): the fee and the accepted payment modes are set by your state's RTI rules. Some states charge Rs.10, some charge more, and the accepted modes — Indian Postal Order, court-fee stamp, cash, or online payment — differ from state to state. Check your state information commission's website for the exact figure and mode before you file.
3. BPL applicants are exempt from the fee in every state, on production of proof.

Do not write “Rs.10 by IPO/cash” as a blanket line. That line is correct only for Central public authorities. For a State Mission or DM, write the fee and mode that your state rules prescribe.

A weak RTI gets a weak reply. Ask for specific, dated, itemised records. These are the questions that consistently surface the truth:

1. Scheme expenditure: “Year-wise and quarter-wise total expenditure under SBM-U 2.0 / SBM-G Phase-II in [district/ward], from [date] to [date], head-wise.”
2. IHHL and community toilet construction: “List of Individual Household Latrines and community/public toilets constructed under SBM in [ward/village] with location, date of completion, amount sanctioned, amount released, and beneficiary name.”
3. ODF declaration audit: “Copy of the ODF / ODF+ / ODF++ declaration audit report for [city/village], including the verification visit date, the officer who verified, and the basis of the declaration.”
4. Ward-wise / Gram Panchayat-wise fund utilisation: “Ward-wise [or GP-wise] fund utilisation certificate for SBM funds for [year], showing opening balance, funds received, funds spent, and closing balance.”
5. Garbage Free star-rating compliance: “Copy of the self-assessment and the third-party assessment submitted for the Garbage Free star rating of [city], with the score sheet.”
6. SWM Rules 2016 compliance: “Action taken report on compliance with the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016 (S.O. 1357(E) dated 8 April 2016) by [municipality], including waste segregation, collection, processing and landfill status.”

Each question asks for a document, not an opinion. PIOs can dodge opinions; they cannot dodge a named record.

Adapt the bracketed parts to your case.

To: The Public Information Officer,
    State SBM Mission / Office of the District Magistrate, [district]

Subject: Application under Section 6 of the RTI Act, 2005 —
         Swachh Bharat Mission fund utilisation, [ward / village / city]

1. I am a citizen of India. Please furnish the following records
   relating to SBM-U 2.0 / SBM-G Phase-II funds for [location]:

   (a) Year-wise and head-wise scheme expenditure from [date] to [date].
   (b) List of IHHLs and community / public toilets constructed, with
       location, completion date, amount sanctioned, amount released,
       and beneficiary name.
   (c) Copy of the ODF / ODF+ / ODF++ declaration audit report,
       with verification date and verifying officer.
   (d) Ward-wise / Gram Panchayat-wise fund utilisation certificate
       for [year], showing opening balance, funds received, spent,
       and closing balance.
   (e) Copy of the Garbage Free star-rating self-assessment and
       third-party assessment, with the score sheet.
   (f) Action taken report on compliance with the Solid Waste
       Management Rules, 2016 (S.O. 1357(E), 8 April 2016).

2. I rely on Section 4(1)(b) of the RTI Act, 2005, which mandates
   proactive disclosure of subsidy programme details including
   beneficiary aggregates and scheme-wise expenditure.

3. Please supply the information in printed / electronic form.

Fee: [Rs.10 / state-prescribed fee] by [IPO / court-fee stamp /
     cash / online as per state rules]. (BPL proof enclosed, if
     applicable.)

Date: [date]                              Yours,
Place: [place]                            [name, address, contact]

The PIO must reply within 30 days of receiving your application (Section 7 of the RTI Act). If your request concerns the life or liberty of a person — for example, a broken toilet forcing women into unsafe open defecation — the reply must come within 48 hours. If the information is not supplied in time, the information is deemed free and you can move to appeal.

RTI works through a clear ladder. Climb it one rung at a time, and keep every reply as proof.

1. Rung 1 — PIO reply. You get the records, or a refusal with a reason. If the reply is incomplete or silent on a question, do not re-file — appeal.
2. Rung 2 — First Appeal. Within 30 days of the PIO's reply (or of the deadline passing with no reply), file a First Appeal to the First Appellate Authority (FAA) of the same department. The FAA is usually one level above the PIO. This is free in most states.
3. Rung 3 — Second Appeal. If the FAA also fails, file a Second Appeal to the Central Information Commission (for Central authorities) or your State Information Commission (for State authorities), within 90 days. The Commission can order disclosure and impose a penalty on the PIO.
4. Rung 4 — Complaint or writ. If the Commission does not act, or the issue involves a false ODF claim with public health harm, you can file a complaint with the Chief Secretary / District Magistrate and, where warranted, a writ petition before the High Court. The Almitra Patel route — a public interest petition on solid waste failures — remains open for systemic breakdowns.

At every rung, attach the earlier reply. The paper trail is the proof.

• Filing only at the city or panchayat level. The municipality or Gram Panchayat implements, but it often does not hold the consolidated fund records. Always also file to the State SBM Mission and the DM.
• Stating a flat Rs.10 fee. That is correct only for Central authorities. For State Missions and DMs, check your state rules for the exact fee and payment mode.
• Skipping the ODF audit ask. A declaration is not an audit. Ask for the verification report, the visit date, and the verifying officer — that is where false ODF claims break down.
• Citing outdated guidelines. SBM Phase-1 ran from 2014 to 2019. The current missions are SBM-U 2.0 (Operational Guidelines, 27 October 2021) and SBM-G Phase-II. Cite the current guidelines, not a vague “2014/19/2.0” string.
• Asking for opinions instead of documents. “Is my ward really ODF?” gets a yes. “Give me the ODF+ verification audit report” gets the paper.

Before you file, check the official portals — they may already hold part of what you need, and they let you ask sharper questions.

• SBM-Urban dashboard and scheme data: swachhbharaturban.gov.in — city-wise progress, star ratings, ODF status, and expenditure.
• SBM-Grameen guidelines and data: swachhbharatmission.ddws.gov.in — village-level ODF Plus status and guidelines.
• Swachh Survekshan: the annual citizen cleanliness survey ranks cities and publishes scores. If your city's score looks too good for the ground reality, that gap is your RTI target. See Swachh Survekshan 2026 for how the survey works and where its data comes from.

Cross-check the dashboard figure against the RTI reply. When the dashboard says “100% IHHL” but the RTI reply lists only half the toilets as completed, you have your evidence.

• Q: My ward was declared ODF, but people still defecate in the open. What do I do? Ask for the ODF+ declaration audit report — the verification visit, the date, and the officer. A declaration without a verifiable audit is the classic paper-only claim.
• Q: The IHHL incentive of Rs.12,000 never reached me. Who do I ask? File RTI to the State SBM-G Mission and the DM asking for the beneficiary list with sanction date, release date, and payment status for your Gram Panchayat. Match your name against the list.
• Q: The community toilet was built but is locked or broken. Is that an RTI matter? Yes. Ask for the completion report, the handover document, and the operations and maintenance budget. A toilet built and then abandoned is a fund-utilisation failure. Pair this with RTI for public toilet condition.
• Q: Garbage is not collected in my street. Can SBM RTI help? Yes — SBM-U funds solid waste work. Ask for the SWM Rules 2016 compliance report and the ward collection log. See also RTI for garbage collection failure and Municipal garbage complaint guide.
• Q: The star rating of my city looks inflated. Can I challenge it? RTI for the self-assessment and the third-party assessment score sheet. Inflated ratings usually collapse when the underlying score sheet is produced.

1. Get the RTI Playbook: a step-by-step PDF with ready-to-use templates for RTI applications, first appeals, and second appeals — so you never miss a deadline or a section number again. The RTI Playbook.
2. Support this work: these guides are kept free and updated with each change in the law because readers chip in. Donate to keep RTI Wiki running.

• RTI for public toilet condition
• RTI for garbage collection failure
• Garbage collection RTI
• Municipal garbage complaint guide
• Swachh Survekshan 2026
• CIC on PM-scheme fund disclosure

1. PIB: SBM-U 2.0 Operational Guidelines launched 27 October 2021 (PRID 1766973) — https://www.pib.gov.in/Pressreleaseshare.aspx?PRID=1766973
2. PIB: Cabinet approves SBM-U till 2025-26, outlay Rs.1,41,600 crore (PRID 1763354) — https://www.pib.gov.in/Pressreleaseshare.aspx?PRID=1763354
3. PM India: Cabinet approves SBM-Grameen Phase-II (Ministry of Jal Shakti) — https://pmindia.gov.in/en/news_updates/cabinet-approves-swachh-bharat-mission-grameen-phase-ii/
4. PIB: Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016 (S.O. 1357(E), 8 April 2016) — https://www.pib.gov.in/newsite/PrintRelease.aspx?relid=147737
5. Indian Kanoon: Almitra H. Patel vs Union of India, 15 February 2000, (2000) 2 SCC 679 — https://indiankanoon.org/doc/339109/
6. SBM-Grameen guidelines portal (DDWS, Ministry of Jal Shakti) — https://www.swachhbharatmission.ddws.gov.in/guidelines
7. Right to Information Act, 2005 — Sections 4(1)(b), 6, 7; RTI Rules, 2012 (Central fee Rs.10).

Last reviewed: 3 July 2026.