Promote the uptake of innovations in the WASH sector through a landscape assessment and policy formation for Villgro, AFD, and MoHUA, India

• Aug 8, 2025
• 1 min

India’s water, sanitation, and hygiene innovation landscape faces systemic barriers that hinder improvement. Some barriers include unfavorable policy environments, limited funding, handholding, and adoption support for innovators. These challenges discourage local governments from implementing solutions and constrain the impact of new startups. 

MSC collaborated with Villgro and consulted startups from the Swachhta Startup Challenge to address this sanitation issue. The Swachhta challenge receives support from the Agence Française de Développement, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, urban local bodies, investors, and ecosystem partners. The team assessed supply- and demand-side barriers and reviewed past and current government initiatives and policies. 

MSC developed a guidance note and strategic framework based on these insights to help local governments adopt scalable WASH innovations. The framework recommends actionable solutions, such as sustainable funding models, streamlined procurement processes, and support mechanisms. These would improve innovation uptake and strengthen urban infrastructure. 

Villgro Innovations commissioned this project.