Swach Bharat Abhiyan

Swach Bharat Abhiyan

( By Rounakshi Dey )

“Civilization is the distance that man has placed between himself and his own excreta” as said by Brian W. Aldiss. Sanitization and hygiene are two basic necessities of human life for its proper functioning. The rural-urban distribution in India is 68.84% and 31.16% respectively, as per the " Registrar General of India and Census Commissioner C Chandramouli" A place where people struggle to get four square meals a day, dreaming of proper sanitization and a cleaner environment is nothing but a mere luxury. Hence, this is a place our government needs to step in, to perform its duties. The first step towards any successful campaign is spreading awareness among its people. Unless people understand the WHY part of the campaign they can never work towards it. India being lacks a proper sense of hygiene. As we look around we find filth and dirt. People are used to all these around them. Seeing our country in such a pitiful state our Central Government announced this campaign as a part of the five-year program. 

Swach Bharat Abhiyan was launched in the year 2014 on 2nd October, the birthday of Mahatma Gandhi in order to pay a tribute to the Father of our Nation. This mission aimed to get a Cleaner India (Bharat) by the end of 2019. Various initiatives and schemes were declared as a part of this mission. However, this mission was entirely a voluntary mission one where no one was forced to be a part. This campaign was formulated to get all cities and villages of India clean by the end of the five-year team. 

Objectives: 

The Swach Bharat Abhiyan had a lot of objectives to be fully filled in order to get a Cleaner India. This mission was not only for the sweepers or the working-class people, rather it was for all the citizens of the nation to work towards a cleaner and a better India. This mission aimed to make sanitary facilities for all households in India. Open defecation is an issue still persisting in rural India. People hardly have the concept of personal sanitary facilities at home in villages. Swach Bharat Abhiyan tends to make people aware of the necessity of having a proper sanitary system at home and provide help in constructing one. Open defecation has a great impact on the public lives of people. It deteriorates their health as the places become breeding houses for germs. This objective not only looks after the cause of having a Cleaner Environment but also looks after the public health. 

The second objective looks after the drainage system of our country. India has an open drainage system. All our household and industrial waste flows through these drains and get accumulated in the dumping areas. Sometimes these drains get clogged with plastics and water along with liquid wastes is unable to flow. Open drainage system becomes breeding places for mosquitoes, flies, and other germ-carrying agents. These germ carries contaminate our food and are a source of many infectious diseases. Drainage Systems need to be covered in order to get a healthier public life. This is another objective in order to get Cleaner India. 

The third one is probably the most important of all the objectives. It aims at spreading awareness among its citizens regarding public health and educate them about the preventive measures. Awareness is the most important step in our lives. It should begin from the grass root levels, i.e., our schools. In schools, children should be mandatorily made part of various awareness programs and cleaning campaigns. Small initiatives like cleaning of classrooms, playgrounds, etc. in groups can help promote this campaign among the school children. As these children become responsible citizens of the nation, they will definitely practice cleanliness throughout their life. Moreover unless and until we become aware of the necessity of the campaign, the mission of the entire campaign fails.

Why is our Nation in dire need of this Abhiyan? 

This Abhiyan is required for the overall development of the health and well-being of the individuals. This practice elevates the overall lifestyle, health, and cleanliness of the nation. This mission will definitely make India a cleaner and greener nation than before. Hence as responsible citizens of the nation, we should make this our personal project as well. It is always said that Charity Begins at Home. Similarly, every small step begins at our own home. Awareness and following this campaign should always start with our people. Next time we find a child loitering around in the streets, make him understand his duty, educate him, spread awareness. Let us all vow to make India a greener and cleaner nation than before. Let’s make this mission Swach Bharat Abhiyan a grand success! Let’s make our future generations proud of our deeds…

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The opinions expressed in this article are the personal opinions of the author. The facts and opinions appearing in the article do not reflect the views of Light de Literacy and LDL does not assume any responsibility or liability for the same.