Swachh Bharat Abhiyan: A Mission to Clean India
Swachh Bharat Abhiyan or Clean India Mission was a
nation-wide campaign from 2014 to 2019 to clean up the streets, roads, and
infrastructure of cities, towns and rural areas. This scheme was aimed to
eradicate open defecation prevalent in India. This mission got a huge success since
it was started. This brings a revolution in the mindset of the people towards
making the country clean.
The mission was started by Honourable Prime Minister
of our Country Shri Narendra Modi on 2nd October 2014 at Rajghat,
New Delhi. It is India’s largest cleanliness campaign till the date. In this
campaign, nine personalities were nominated by PM Narendra Modi to in turn
nominate nine other people and so on. The targets of the mission to clean India
and make it open defecation free by 2019, on the 150th birth
anniversary of the Mahatma Gandhi the father of the Nation. The basic objective
behind the Swachh Bharat Mission is to create sanitation facilities for all and
eliminate completely the unhealthy practice of responding to nature’s call
in the open. It aims to provide every rural family with a toilet by 2019. The
main logo of the campaign was “Ek Kadam Swachhta Ki Ore”
Every school affiliated to the Central Board of
Secondary Education have been told to take part in the Prime Minister’s Swachh
Bharat Abhiyan under the “Swachh Bharat Swachh Vidyalaya Campaign”. To promote
sensibility amongst children regarding daily hygiene and the basic sense of
cleanliness, the Board has asked the affiliated school to organize activities
like essay writing and painting competitions, drama and debate competitions all
was to promote Swachh Bharat Abhiyan and cleanliness amongst children. And,
with the help of children promote in societies.
To make the initiative more powerful, the corporate
and media houses have joined hands with the Government of India pledging
monetary and awareness commitments to build toilets in schools and rural areas.
The Government asked municipal bodies, religious and spiritual organizations to
make this movement a massive success and for these letters have been dispatched
to all MPs and State Governors. Towns along the bank of Ganga and its
tributaries will be accorded top priority in mission Swachh Bharat.
The Abhiyan also includes objectives like the construction
of individual, cluster and community toilets. The government makes people aware
of the drawbacks of open defecation with huge publicity and through Tv radio
and digital media also. Swacch Bharat Abhiyan became a huge campaign towards
making India clean and gives a new face to the country.
People should not only see Swachh Bharat Abhiyan as a campaign by the Government or an exercise because there is no doubt about the
fact that change begins at home. Every citizen of the country should be clean
and have hygiene and think of progress rather than waiting for the Government
to make this plan successful.
All authorities responsible for the Swachh Bharat program
even up to grass root level and even an individual employee. One should know
where to reach and who to ask when hurdles come. In our
societies, you have commonly seen that one clean their home and put the waste in
front of their neighbor and the neighbor, in turn, puts the waste in front of
their house. We have to change our mindsets and take responsibility to
make the change. There no place where we can put it. There should be the
arrangement of large dustbins and also good in number in each locality so that
after sweeping and cleaning we know where to put the waste. Swachh Bharat
Campaign will take on with its momentum if everyone puts its effort into it
such as the Government should install at least one the bin with Lamppost or tree near
each crossing, so that people are encouraged to put their waste in the bin.
Also, several measures to be taken so that bins cannot be stolen or broken.
Bins in all eateries, restaurant and even hawkers should be made mandatory. All
religious places organizing Langer or gatherings should have proper
arrangements of dustbins for plates, glasses or left food materials. Market
associations should also be involved in this campaign as markets are one of the
main sources of garbage littering. Also, we can take the help of our silver
screen or celebrities. If the message of cleanliness will be flashed in movies
and serials or there will be the promotion of cleaning our country it will have a
great impact on the life of the common people or youngsters.
Cleanliness should be everybody’s business and not
just of any single entity and certainly not that of the Government alone. This
partnership for a good cause is a great opportunity for our country.
Let us hope citizens unite on this common issue.
The pledge taken on the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi’s anniversary
should be implemented. Let us all pledge to make this mission success by just
thinking and changing our small habits. Swacch Bharat Abhiyan is a
revolutionary idea and the Tole of society in the success of Swachh Bharat Abhiyan
matters the most. Everyone should understand it his or her own responsibility
to make the country clean and success of the Mission.