IISD-CMI Clean India / Swachh Bharat Campaign

IISD-CMI Clean India / Swachh Bharat Campaign

Swachh Bharat Abhiyan

"A clean India would be the best tribute India could pay to Mahatma Gandhi on his 150 birth anniversary in 2019," said Shri Narendra Modi as he launched the Swachh Bharat Mission at Rajpath in New Delhi. On 2nd October 2014, Swachh Bharat Mission was launched throughout length and breadth of the country as a national movement. The campaign aims to achieve the vision of a 'Clean India' by 2nd October 2019.

The Swachh Bharat Abhiyan is the most significant cleanliness campaign by the Government of India. Shri Narendra Modi led a cleanliness pledge at India Gate, which about thirty lakh government employees across the country joined. He also flagged off a walkathon at Rajpath and surprised people by joining in not just for a token few steps, but marching with the participants for a long way.

While leading the mass movement for cleanliness, the Prime Minister exhorted people to fulfil Mahatma Gandhi's dream of a clean and hygienic India. Shri Narendra Modi himself initiated the cleanliness drive at Mandir Marg Police Station. Picking up the broom to clean the dirt, making Swachh Bharat Abhiyan a mass movement across the nation, the Prime Minister said people should neither litter, nor let others litter. He gave the mantra of 'Na gandagi karenge, Na karne denge.' Shri Narendra Modi also invited nine people to join the cleanliness drive and requested each of them to draw nine more into the initiative.

By inviting people to participate in the drive, the Swachhta Abhiyan has turned into a National Movement. A sense of responsibility has been evoked among the people through the Clean India Movement. With citizens now becoming active participants in cleanliness activities across the nation, the dream of a 'Clean India' once seen by Mahatma Gandhi has begun to get a shape.

The Prime Minister has helped spread the message of Swachh Bharat by urging people through his words & action. He carried out a cleanliness drive in Varanasi as well. He wielded a spade near River Ganga at Assi Ghat in Varanasi under the Clean India Mission. He was joined by a large group of local people who cooperated in the Swachhta Abhiyan. Understanding the significance of sanitation, Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has simultaneously addressed the health problems that roughly half of the Indians families have to deal with due to lack of proper toilets in their homes.

People from different sections of the society have come forward and joined this mass movement of cleanliness. From government officials to jawans, bollywood actors to the sportspersons, industrialists to spiritual leaders, all have lined up for the noble work. Millions of people across the country have been day after day joining the cleanliness initiatives of the government departments, NGOs and local community centres to make India clean. Organising frequent cleanliness campaigns to spreading awareness about hygiene through plays and music is also being widely carried out across the nation.

Prime Minister himself has praised the efforts by people and various departments and organisations for taking part in the Swachh Bharat Mission and contributing toward a cleaner India. Shri Narendra Modi has always openly lauded the participation of people via social media. The '#MyCleanIndia' was also launched simultaneously as a part of the Swachh Bharat drive to highlight the cleanliness work carried out by citizens across the nation.

Swachh Bharat Abhiyan has become a 'Jan Andolan' receiving tremendous support from the people. Citizens too have turned out in large numbers and pledged for a neat and cleaner India. Taking the broom to sweep the streets, cleaning up the garbage, focussing on sanitation and maintaining a hygienic environment have become a practice after the launch of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan. People have started to take part and are helping spread the message of 'Cleanliness is next to Godliness.'

Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched his nationwide cleanliness campaign, the 'Swachh Bharat Mission' or 'Clean India Campaign' from the Valmiki Basti in New Delhi on Thursday. Addressing the nation at the launch, Modi asked India's 1.25 billion people to join the 'Swachh Bharat Mission' and promote it to everyone.

After paying tribute at the memorials of Mahatma Gandhi and former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri on their birth anniversaries, Modi himself swept a pavement at Valmiki Basti, a colony of sanitation workers before the formal launch of the 'Clean India' drive at Rajpath. While launching the mission at Mandir Marg, he also made a surprise visit at the local police station to check on its cleanliness.

Modi said, "Swachh Bharat Campaign logo is not just a logo, through it Gandhiji is watching us and we all should clean India. Be it temples, mosques, gurudwaras or any place, we must take efforts to clean our surroundings. Cleanliness is not only the responsibility of the 'safaai kaamgar', it is the responsibility of 125 crore Indians. If Indians can reach Mars at a cheap cost, can we not clean our neighbourhoods ?"

Giving credit to previous governments, Modi said, "I do not make any claim that only the newly elected government has done everything. All governments have done something or the other to achieve cleanliness in the country; I greet all of them for this. Swachh Bharat mission is beyond politics. It is inspired by patriotism and not politics."

Thanking the media for supporting this campaign, he said, "I know people may criticise me in the next few days, but to clean India I am ready to face the criticism."

Stating that this campaign cannot be done by only the government or the ministers, Modi said, "The work is to be done by all Indians. This campaign is for 1.2 billion people and I repeat it 1.2 billion times. This work is not only about a 'prachar abhiyan'. It is a big effort but we have a lot of time."

Mentioning that the response he is getting on the social media is heartening, Modi said, "There are thousands of organisations which have been doing the great work of cleanliness, and they should also brought into the picture." Modi asked people to take pictures of areas where they saw garbage, then clean the area and take pictures of the clean area. He asked people to upload these images on social media using MyGov, a mobile application.

He added, "I have also started a social media campaign, I have invited nine people to post pictures of them cleaning and they will invite another nine people. It includes Goa Governor Mridula Sinha, master blaster Sachin Tendulkar, Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, Bollywood actor Aamir Khan, Priyanka Chopra, Salman Khan, Yoga guru Ramdev baba and a team of Tarak Mehta ka Ooltah Chashmah."

"I feel pained to see mothers and daughters to go in the open to relieve themselves. More than 60% people defecate in the open. Constructing more toilets is extremely important and we can at least do this to respect them. Don't trust my government, but trust Mahatma Gandhi's devotion to cleanliness," he added.

Prime Minister Modi also pledged to people saying 'na main gandagi karoonga,na main gandagi karne doonga' (I would not litter and won't allow anyone to do so). He further flagged off a walkathon as part of the Swachh Bharat Campaign.

The Centre will spend nearly Rs 2 lakh crore in a five-year span as part of its ambitious plan to completely clean India by October 2019, coinciding with the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. While the Urban Development Ministry will allocate Rs 62,000 crore for cleaning towns across the country, the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation will spend Rs 1,34,000 crores for the programme to be launched by Modi on October 2.

Millions of people across the country have joined daily this cleanliness initiatives of the government departments, NGOs and local community centers to make India clean. IISD-CMI has taken a leadership role in Nation wide Campaign, involving it's 121 NGOs and Civil Society Organazations, Universities and Educational Institutions Network, to take this very important Swachh Bharat Campaign, along with Massive Rural Sanitation Drive, through out the Country in a meaningful way, whose impact is appreciated by Government of India.