Swachh Bharat
Zeeshan ur Rahman
Assistant Professor
Department of Botany, Zakir Husain Delhi College
University of Delhi
Introduction
• The Government of India launched the Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM),
Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, or Clean India Mission in 2014 as a national
initiative to end open defecation and enhance solid waste management.
• Additionally, the initiative seeks to raise public knowledge of menstrual
health management.
• It is a revamped version of the 2009- launched Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan,
which fell short of the goals it set out to accomplish.
• The Swachh Bharat Mission's first phase ended in October 2019.
• Between 2020–21 and 2024–25, Phase 2 is put into practice to assist
solidify the results of Phase 1.
• The campaign's official name is in Hindi. It means "Clean India
Mission" in English.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi formally inaugurated the campaign on
October 2, 2014, at Rajghat in New Delhi.
• With three million government workers and students from all over
India participating in 4,043 cities, towns, and rural villages, it is India's
largest cleaning initiative to date.
• The campaign was dubbed Satyagrah se Swatchhagrah by the prime
minister at a rally in Champaran in honour of Gandhi's Champaran
Satyagraha, which began on 10 April 1916.
• The mission was divided into an urban and a rural area.
• The Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation (now reorganised as
the Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation under the Ministry
of Jal Shakti) provided funding and oversight for "SBM - Gramin" in
rural regions, but "SBM - Urban" was under the control of the
Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.
• There are five levels of government that make up the rural division:
central, state, district, block panchayat, and gramin panchayat.
• As part of the programme, volunteers advocated the building of
toilets using the well-liked technique known as Community-Led Total
Sanitation at the village level.
• These volunteers are known as Swatchhagrahis, or "Ambassadors of
cleanliness.“
• In addition, non-governmental organisations like The Ugly Indian,
Waste Warriors, and SWACH Pune (Solid Waste Collection and
Handling) provided real-time monitoring and updates for the entire
country.
• The project was started by the Indian government, with the goal of
making India "open-defecation free" (ODF) by 2 October 2019, the
150th anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi's birth.
• During that time, an estimated 89.9 million toilets were constructed.
• Aside from eliminating wastes, other goals were
• manual scavenging
• raising awareness about sanitation standards and
• changing people's behavior
• Another goal was to increase local capacity.
• The second stage of the mission seeks to maintain the absence of
open defecation, enhance solid and liquid waste management, and
enhance the working conditions for sanitation personnel.
• The mission aims to advance towards target 6.2 of the sixth of the
United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals, which was
established in 2015.
• India met its Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6.2 health target in
record time by attaining the lowest open defecation-free status in
2019, eleven years earlier than the UN SDG deadline of 31 December
2030.
Gandhian Philosophy of Cleanliness
Everyone must be his own scavenger. - M.K. Gandhi
• Cleanliness is most important for physical well-being and a healthy
environment.
• It is essential for everyone to learn about cleanliness, hygiene,
sanitation and the various diseases that are caused due to poor
hygienic conditions.
• Mahatma Gandhi said "Sanitation is more important than
independence".
• Total sanitation for all.
• The habits learnt at a young age get embedded into one's personality.
• Even if we inculcate certain habits like washing hands before meals, regular
brushing of teeth, and bathing from a young age, we are not bothered
about cleanliness of public places.
• Mahatma Gandhi said, “I will not let anyone walk through my mind with
their dirty feet.”
• No one should spit or clean his nose on the streets. Why??
• In some countries spitting on the road is a criminal offence.
• Those who spit after chewing betel leaves and tobacco have no
consideration for the feelings of others.
• Spittle, mucus from the nose, etc, should also be covered with earth.
• He criticized many western customs but repeatedly admitted that he
learnt sanitation from the west. He wanted to introduce that type of
cleanliness in India.
• He advocated Training of Cleanliness for Equality.
• Story of mehtar (sweeper) called Uka and its association with
Ramayana where Rama embraced Guhaka, a chandal, leading to
The Ramayana cannot mislead us.
Scavenging started from South Africa
• helped to defeat Plague in Rajkot
• Congress session in Calcutta
• Gandhiji said, “So long as you do not take the broom and the bucket
in your hands, you cannot make your towns and cities clean."
