Swachh Bharat Abhiyan
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| Swachh Bharat Abhiyan | |
|---|---|
| Name | Swachh Bharat Abhiyan |
| Native name | स्वच्छ भारत अभियान |
| Motto | Clean India Mission |
| Formation | 2 October 2014 |
| Founder | Narendra Modi |
| Type | National campaign |
| Headquarters | New Delhi |
| Parent organisation | Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs; Ministry of Jal Shakti |
| Region served | India |
Swachh Bharat Abhiyan is a national campaign launched on 2 October 2014 by Narendra Modi with aims to eliminate open defecation and improve solid waste management across India. The initiative set targets for toilet construction, behaviour change, and urban cleanliness, engaging entities such as the Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan, Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation, Ministry of Rural Development (India) and municipal bodies in cities like Mumbai, Delhi, and Kolkata. It incorporated partnerships with institutions including the World Bank, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, United Nations Development Programme, and corporations like Tata Group and Reliance Industries.
Background and Objectives
The campaign built on antecedents such as the Total Sanitation Campaign, Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan, and policy frameworks from the Planning Commission of India and Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. Objectives included achieving universal household toilet coverage, making urban localities open-defecation-free through behaviour-change programmes modelled after projects in Bangladesh, Indonesia, and Brazil. It aimed to reduce waterborne diseases tracked by agencies like the Indian Council of Medical Research and to meet targets in the Sustainable Development Goals and commitments under the Swachh Bharat Mission (Gramin) and Swachh Bharat Mission (Urban) tracks.
Implementation and Phases
Implementation occurred in phased campaigns: initial nationwide mobilization, accelerated rural toilet construction under Ministry of Rural Development (India), and urban solid waste management reforms under Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs. Phases referenced institutional mechanisms including the Central Public Health and Environmental Engineering Organization, the National Institute of Urban Affairs, and state-level bodies such as the Maharashtra State Rural Development Department, Karnataka Urban Infrastructure Development & Finance Corporation, and Uttar Pradesh Jal Nigam. Execution relied on monitoring platforms influenced by administrative practices from the Aadhaar rollout and digital dashboards akin to systems used by NITI Aayog, with community-led approaches inspired by the Community-Led Total Sanitation model.
Infrastructure and Sanitation Initiatives
Infrastructure efforts encompassed construction of household latrines, community toilets, and faecal sludge management facilities in cities including Bengaluru, Ahmedabad, and Pune. Initiatives linked to institutions such as the National Mission for Clean Ganga for river protection, the Central Pollution Control Board for waste segregation standards, and technological pilots with Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, IIT Delhi, and IIT Madras for toilet design and wastewater treatment. Projects interfaced with municipal services in Chennai and Hyderabad and aligned with urban programmes like the Smart Cities Mission and transport hubs such as Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus for public sanitation upgrades.
Funding and Financial Mechanisms
Financing combined central allocations from the Ministry of Finance (India), state co-funding, and conditional grants via mechanisms used by the Finance Commission of India and the Ministry of Rural Development (India). International funding and technical assistance involved organisations like the World Bank, Asian Development Bank, and UNICEF, while corporate social responsibility contributions flowed from firms including Tata Group, Aditya Birla Group, and Mahindra & Mahindra. Microfinance and self-help group channels operated through frameworks such as the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development and NABARD schemes to subsidize household sanitation assets.
Impact, Challenges, and Criticism
Reported impacts cited by agencies included increases in household latrine coverage and declarations of open-defecation-free status for districts and states like Kerala, Haryana, and Gujarat》. Critics from think tanks and media outlets referenced methodological disputes with surveys by the National Sample Survey Office and analyses by the Council on Energy, Environment and Water, the Centre for Science and Environment, and academics at Jawaharlal Nehru University and the Indian Institute of Public Health. Challenges encompassed behaviour change sustainment, faecal sludge management capacity in metros such as Delhi, inequities affecting marginalised groups represented by activists from National Commission for Scheduled Castes and National Commission for Scheduled Tribes, and debates over monitoring frameworks compared with independent studies by Lancet-affiliated researchers and the World Health Organization.
Major Campaigns and Partnerships
Major campaigns under the umbrella included focused drives like the cleanliness pledges on dates tied to Mahatma Gandhi and national events coordinated with the Bharatiya Janata Party, municipal campaigns in Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation and Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, and theme-based collaborations with academic centres such as Tata Institute of Social Sciences and All India Institute of Medical Sciences. Partnerships extended to philanthropic and multilateral actors including the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, UNICEF, World Bank, and corporate partners such as Tata Group, Reliance Industries, and Infosys for technology platforms. Cultural and media campaigns engaged celebrities and institutions like Aamir Khan, Sachin Tendulkar, Anupam Kher, and broadcasters such as Doordarshan to amplify outreach.