India is an emotion bound country. Any national movement raised in the context of social development is followed religiously by every stratum of the society. This is what reflects our Unity in diversity. Let’s take an example of Ganesh Chaturthi. Initiated with the aim of uniting people to stand against the British officials, Lokmanya Tilak worked out this tactic. One such national initiative launched in extension to Mahatma Gandhi’s vision of healthy and prosperous India is that of Swachhata Mission or Swachh Bharat Mission.
Swachh Bharat Mission or Swachhata Mission was officially launched by our current Honorable Prime Minister, Mr. Narendra Modi. It was his gratitude towards the ideals laid down by Father of our Nation decades back. Fourth of anniversary of Swachhata Abhiyan is all set to mark its presence on fourth of October, 2018. But are we following the ideals that laid down the foundation of this initiative?
Swachh Bharat Abhiyan:
Laying the down the foundations of Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, it was clear that we aimed to emancipate environment from the wrath of pollution. One of the key element or focus of the initiative was to educate the villagers to make a switch to the use of toilets and curb open defecation. To elaborate further, Swachh Bharat Mission was launched to vouch on the provision of effectuating sewage disposal system, maintain cleanliness and so on. It was also a vision of the visualizers of Swachh Bharat Mission to proffer adequate drinking water facilities by its 5th anniversary.
Objectives which laid down the foundations of Swachh Bharat Abhiyan:
Set with a clear goal and prospect to set India clean on the 150th anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, we shall be entering the final targeted year of Swachh Bharat Abhiyan. Majority of us have voluntarily extended our participation in this national initiative. The base of this initiative was entitled to be beyond politics with a patriotic inspiration. Here are some of the objectives, why we all should extend our contribution towards this initiative and make a global impact:
The primary aim of Swachh Bharat Abhiyan is to set every nook and corner of India free from the hassles of open defecation.
- Transform the insanitary toilets to flush or pour toilets to mark our presence as a responsible citizen.
- Permanently curb the issues of manual scavenging.
- Educating every Indian about the importance of healthy practices of sanitation.
- Linking Indians with the sanitation and public health programmes to promulgate its objectives further for a healthy and wealthy society.
- Scientifically process, dispose of, reuse and recycle Municipal Solid Waste.
A glimpse of its success:
After the foundations of Swachh Bharat Abhiyan’s objectives were implemented, the government started working with the verification of the implementation process. The findings of the entire verification process were then circulated to reach common people like us via media reporting.
To effectuate the enthusiastic participation of respective State Governments, Central Governments started rendering financial incentives to accomplish its objectives at the individual state level. Notable amongst these initiatives is the management of both solid/ liquid waste, construction of toilets, IEC servicers (information, education, and communication) technical assistance and so on.
In parallel to the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan’s progressive era, Swachh Bharat Kosh (fund) was another gift from the Central Ministry of Finance. The primary strategy behind the launch of this initiative is to provide adequate funds for implementing and operating Swachh Bharat’s efforts. The fund has been successful in clinching and collating around five hundred and fifty crore fund.
Furthermore, Swachh Bharat Abhiyan’s success story doesn’t halt here itself. To monitor or vouch the successful implementation of all the promised initiatives, Tata Trusts came ahead with the concept of Swachh Bharat Preraks. Swachh Bharat Prerarks is a conglomeration of Tata Trust recruited volunteers to vouch on the progress of the implemented activities.
Besides every single ministry under the Government of India, has its Swachh Action Plans with self-regulated funding. Such plans are promised to be functional for two consecutive couple years, i.e., 2017-2018 and 2018-2019.
To ensure adequate sanitation facility near our national iconic structures such as the Taj Mahal, Golden Temple, etc. yet another initiative is operative. The initiative is entitled as Swachh Iconic Places.
While we recall the initiatives born under the influence of Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, Health Ministry’s Swachh SwasthSarvatra in collaboration with UNICEF stands unique. This initiative aims to equip every governmental schooling institution with an adequate and hygienic sanitation facility. Besides, its primary objective is to impart education of hygiene and sanitation to all children.
Intending to evaluating the statistics of Swachh Bharat Mission, the Union Government laid down the foundation of the Village Swachhta Index. This index reflects the statistics relating to SLWM, ODF, the presence of stagnant water and visual cleanliness. With a thorough evaluation and re-evaluation of these statistics and the implemented activities, significant responsibilities have been conferred on village panchayats. After, a detailed analysis, village panchayats have to rank themselves on a pointer of 10 at an interval of every three months.
Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation survey analysis highlights a significant reduction in cases of open defecation. We are still thriving hard on the national front to set entire India free from the prevailing open defecation practices. Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Kerala, Sikkim, and Uttarakhand are declared to be the first five states with complete ODF rural areas.
Reckoned as one of the biggest national campaigns of India, is still behind to achieve its ultimate goal. If we all want to live the vision laid down by this mission, it is essential for us to emphasize and address the following concerns:
It is imperative that we collectively extend our participation to embrace the ideals set by this brilliant initiative. The fourth anniversary of Swachh Bharat Mission is approaching. Let us all pledge to be an active member of this national initiative and once again reflect our status of unity in diversity.
It is also essential for the volunteers to keep an eye on the efficiency of the implemented activities. At our end, we must also ensure about the efficient functioning of the implemented actions.
Our collective efforts shall make this initiative reflect as a befitting tribute to the Swachh Bharat ideals put forward by Father of our Nation. Let us all pledge to make India an ideal Swachh Nation on the global front!
Author’s Bio
Mudabbira Khan is an English Hons. Graduate. She is a passionate about writing and blogging and currently working as contributing editor at TheArticle.in.
