SWACHH BHARAT ABHIYAN

Swachh Bharat Abhiyan is a wonderful campaign initiated by the Government of India in 2014 to eliminate open defecation and improve solid waste management towards making the country clean.

It is a restructured version of the Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan launched in 2009 that failed to achieve its intended targets. Phase 1 of the Swachh Bharat mission lasted till October 2019. Phase 2 will be implemented between 2020–21 and 2024-25. The drive was actually formulated to make all the cities and towns of the country neat and clean.

The objectives of the phase 1 of the mission also included eradication of manual scavenging, generating awareness and bringing about a behaviour change regarding sanitation practices, and augmentation of capacity at the local level.The phase 2 of the mission aims at sustaining the open defecation free status and improving the management of solid and liquid waste. The mission aims at progressing towards the target 6.2 of the Sustainable Development Goals Number 6 established by the United Nations in 2015.

The Clean India Mission was launched by the Hon'ble Prime Minister, Narendra Modi at Raj Ghat on 2nd October, 2014 in order to honour Mahatma Gandhi's vision of a Clean India. It gave the slogan " One step towards cleanliness". The campaign was run on the national level to make people aware of the importance of cleanliness.

The mission aimed to achieve an "open-defecation free" (ODF) India by 2 October 2019, the 150th anniversary of the birth of Mahatma Gandhi.It is the largest cleanliness drive of India with three million government employees and students from all parts of India participating in 4,043 cities, towns, and rural communities.

The mission was split into two parts : rural and urban. In rural areas, "SBM - Gramin" was financed and monitored through the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation, and "SBM - urban" was controlled by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs. The volunteers of this programme are known as Swachhagrahis, or "Ambassadors of cleanliness". They promote indoor plumbing and community approaches to sanitation (CAS) at the village level. The government has provided subsidy for construction of nearly 110 million toilets between 2014 and 2019.

CLEANLINESS IS NEXT TO GODLINESS

As we all know Cleanliness is next to Godliness. It brings health, beauty, prosperity and keeps us away from offensive odours and contamination. There is a lot of benefits of observing cleanliness. It should be followed by everyone.

The main objective of this campaign is to keep India cleaner and better. Additionally, it appeals not only to the sweepers and workers, but also to all the citizens to keep the surroundings clean and beautiful. Every morning, the garbage collecting vehicle of the Municipality moves around the locality to collect garbage. The song being played on the vehicle is specially appealing. It plays the rap song, " Gadi Wala Aaya ghar Se Kachra Nikal". It's so amazing to listen and stirs people even from their deep slumbers. It has really helped in making the message reach wider.

Swachh Bharat Abhiyan also aims to build sanitary facilities for all households. One of the most common problems in rural areas is that of open defecation. This campaign aims to eliminate this problem. Moreover, the Indian government intends to offer all the citizens with hand pumps,proper drainage system, bathing facility and many more. It will promote cleanliness among citizens. At the same time, it will also make people aware of health and education through awareness programs. The major objective of this campaign is to teach the citizens dispose the waste mindfully.

India is a country of villages. The innocent villagers don't understand the value of cleanliness. Here, we are in a dire need of a cleanliness drive like Swachh Bharat Abhiyan to eradicate dirtiness. It is most needed for the overall development of citizens in terms of health and well-being. As the majority of the population of India lives in rural areas, it is a big problem and so, this drive is a must. Generally, in these areas, people do not have proper toilet facilities. They go out in the fields or roads to excrete. This practice creates a lot of hygiene problems for citizens.Therefore, this Clean India mission can be of great help to enhance the living conditions of these people.

Moreover, Swachh Bharat Abhiyan will help in proper waste management as well. If we dispose the waste properly and recycle it, it will help in the development of the country. As the main focus of this campaign is to improve the sanitary condition of the rural area, the quality of life of the rural people will be enhanced through it. In fact, it will enhance the public health. India is a developing country and it needs a lot in the field of sanitation. This mission will change the whole scenario.

Let's hope for the best!