SWACHH BHARAT MISSION

Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) on October 2, 2014, the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. The ambitious programme aims to make the streets, roads and infrastructure across the country clean by October 02, 2019, the 150th birth anniversary of the Father of the Nation. It is India’s biggest ever cleanliness drive.

The relevance of the Swachh Bharat Mission

Sanitation has emerged as a key issue since the 2011 Census highlighted e glaring data on lack of toilets in the country by stating that over 26 million people in India defecate in the open. Launched with an estimated cost of around Rs 62,009 crore, Swachh Bharat Mission aims to achieve the elimination of open defecation in the country. Among its other objectives are conversion of insanitary toilets to pour flush toilets, putting an end to the inhuman practice of manual scavenging and carrying out Municipal Solid Waste Management (MSWM).

Involvement of Eminent personalities

Launching the mission, Prime Minster had nominated nine famous personalities for the campaign. They joined the campaign and nominated nine more people. Thus, the momentum has been built with people from all walks of life joining it. Eminent personalities such as Aamir Khan, Amitabh Bachchan, Kailash Kher, Priyanka Chopra and leading sportspersons like Sachin Tendulkar, Sania Mirza, Saina Nehwal and Mary Kom are part of the SBM.

How far we have come

Sikkim, Himachal Pradesh and Kerala are the three states that have been declared Open Defecation Free (ODF) this year.Under the Swachh Bharat Mission Gramin (SBM-G), rural Uttarakhand and ruralHaryana have declared themselves as the 4th and 5th Open Defecation Free (ODF) States of India. As per government data, as of December 16, over 58% of Indian households have become open defecation free.

Conclusion: Though the government is putting forward its best efforts, yet we have so far not received the desired result on the front of cleanliness. There is need of an attitudinal change on the part of all citizens to fulfil the mission of a clean India in its true spirit.

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