Cleanliness, hygiene, and sanitation are the hallmarks of any nation. Former Prime Minister Narendra Modi on October 2, 2014, initiated a campaign called Clean India Mission or Swachh Bharat Abhiyan which focuses on India as a whole. The mission aims to eradicate open defecation and provide proper waste management practices across India for proper hygiene, transforming this initiative into a people’s movement instead of just a government mission. 

Historical Context

This movement and campaign can be traced back to Mahatma Gandhi’s vision of a clean and self-sufficient nation, as he believed that independence brought about many responsibilities, such as hygiene. Hence, on Gandhi’s birth anniversary, this movement was launched to pay tribute to him, emphasizing cleanliness as a requirement for a healthy society and prosperity. 

Objectives of Swachh Bharat Abhiyan

The primary goals of Swachh Bharat Abhiyan include:

Eradicating Open Defecation:

The overall aim of this mission is to ensure that practices such as open defecation are eradicated by providing proper toilet facilities in rural and urban areas, as these practices lead to environmental diseases and pollution.

Improving Solid Waste Management:

Waste disposal and recycling must be carried out in an organized fashion, which is a core objective of the campaign. This involves the establishment of waste segregation systems together with appropriate measures for composting.

Creating Awareness:

The objective remains to sensitize the public on the significance of cleanliness, sanitation and hygiene through various programs and media exposure.

Encouraging Behavioral Change:

Citizens will be prompted to keep the environment clean and hygienic as part of their social responsibility or duty through the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan.

Achievements of Swachh Bharat Abhiyan

In the short time since the program was launched, there has been an impressive advancement in the sanitation of India concerning the initiative taken by the program known as the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan. Some of the key achievements include:

Construction of Toilets:

To improve sanitation in India, the leader of the mission set out a goal to eradicate open defecation, which led to the building of construction toilets exceeding 100 million.

According to government reports, India managed to achieve ODF status in 2019.

Increased Awareness:

A tangible difference in behaviour has taken place due to the proactive nature of the campaign that focused on the need to maintain hygiene.

Educational and professional institutions together with the general community have joined the movement and supported the mission by taking part in clean-up activities.

Improved Waste Management:

Composting, recycling and waste segregation practices are being adopted by towns and cities, with some municipalities initiating these processes.

Recognition and Awards

Other developing countries seeking to improve their sanitary conditions have been inspired by the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan programme, which has managed to garner international attention and praise, and therefore serves as a model.

Challenges and Roadblocks

Despite its successes, Swachh Bharat Abhiyan faces several challenges:

Sustaining Behavioral Change:

While initial efforts have moved the bar in terms of cleanliness and hygiene practices, the challenge remains to ensure such behavioural change is sustained.

Too primary education and monitoring have caused such societies to slide back to the old ways of doing things.

Urban Waste Management

Through Urban Expansion Waste Generation has increased drastically which many cities find it hard to cope with.

Funding and Resources

To be able to fulfil the long-term goals of the program huge amount of funding and infrastructure is required for the support but over time this becomes hard to provide.

Public Participation

Community involvement is an integral aspect of the campaign but certain aspects and sections of our society shy away from cleanliness drives.

The Role of Citizens

Indian society takes part in such initiatives and programming as Swachh Bharat Abhiyan and that shows the program would need citizens to be active participants of the initiative at all times for it to succeed. This includes adopting cleaner practices in the community including waste segregation, community cleaning programs and also eliminating littering as basic measures in doing so.

The Place of Technology

Technology, in this case, mobile apps, GIS mapping and data analytics, is essential for the effectiveness of Swachh Bharat Abhiyan. These are used to evaluate hygiene facilities and assess progress. Other technologies such as biogas plants and waste-to-energy systems also complement the campaign’s objectives.

Swachh Bharat Abhiyan and the Sustainable Development Goals

The initiative is in synergy with the SDGs of the UN, especially SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation and SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities. As cleanliness and waste management are enhanced, there is a corresponding improvement in health, environmental, and social conditions as well.

Conclusion

Swachh Bharat Abhiyan is not just a cleanliness campaign, it is a revolutionary campaign that seeks to make India a healthier, cleaner and better country. Certainly, there have been great strides made with the campaign, but in the longer term, it will require a concerted effort from the government, private sector, and the people. Let us fight for the vision of Mahatma Gandhi and the dream of the billions by implementing cleanliness and hygiene in our daily lives and ensuring that our future generations live in a better world.