Swachh Bharat Mission

Why is in news? National call to action for 1 Hour of citizen-led shramdaan for swachhata on 1st Oct, 2023

Nine years ago, Prime Minister gave a clarion call for swachhata in 2014.

Citizens from all walks of life reciprocated with immense enthusiasm taking the ownership for Swachh Bharat.

As a result, swachhata became a national behaviour and Swachh Bharat Mission became a household name.

As a run up to Gandhi Jayanti, a unique call to action has been given by the Prime Minister to fellow citizens.

This mega cleanliness drive calls upon citizens from all walks of life to join in actual cleaning activities of public places like market spaces, railway tracks water bodies tourist locations, religious places etc.

Every town, Gram Panchayat, all sectors of the Government like civil aviation, railways, information & technology etc, public institutions will be facilitating cleanliness events led by the citizens.

About the mission:

The Swachh Bharat Mission is a national cleanliness campaign launched by the Government of India on October 2, 2014, with the goal of achieving a clean and open defecation-free India by October 2, 2019.

October 2 is the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, who was a strong advocate of cleanliness and sanitation. The mission was launched on this day to pay tribute to his vision and values.

Objectives: To eliminate open defecation, promote proper sanitation and hygiene practices, and create awareness about the importance of cleanliness and sanitation.

The Swachh Bharat Mission is implemented through various strategies, including constructing household and community toilets, promoting behaviour change towards proper sanitation practices, launching cleanliness campaigns, and improving waste management systems.

The mission focuses on constructing individual household toilets and community toilets to eliminate the practice of open defecation. It aims to provide access to toilets for every household, promoting hygiene and reducing health hazards.