For many decades, public sanitation and cleanliness remained a low-priority issue in India’s national development narrative. The consequences were severe and widespread. Public spaces were often littered with garbage, and the lack of proper sanitation facilities forced hundreds of millions of citizens, particularly in rural areas, to practice open defecation. This was not just an issue of aesthetics; it was a profound public health crisis, contributing to a high incidence of water-borne diseases like diarrhea, cholera, and typhoid, which in turn led to high rates of child mortality and malnutrition. Furthermore, the absence of safe and private toilets deeply impacted human dignity and safety, especially for women and girls.
Recognizing that development could not be sustainable without addressing these foundational issues, the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, launched the Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) or Clean India Mission on October 2, 2014. The launch date was symbolic, coinciding with the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, who had long championed the cause of cleanliness. Unlike previous sanitation programs, SBM was envisioned not merely as a government-funded construction project but as a Jan Andolan—a mass people’s movement. Its ambitious, time-bound goal was to achieve a clean and Open Defecation Free (ODF) India by October 2, 2019, a fitting tribute to Mahatma Gandhi on his 150th birth anniversary. This article provides a comprehensive analysis of the Swachh Bharat Mission, its objectives, strategy, impact, and the ongoing challenges in its second phase.
Scheme Overview
- Launch Date: October 2, 2014
- Nodal Ministries: The mission is implemented through two verticals:
- Ministry of Jal Shakti: For Swachh Bharat Mission-Gramin (SBM-G) in rural areas.
- Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs: For Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban (SBM-U) in urban areas.
- Mission Phases:
- Phase I (2014-2019): Focused primarily on the construction of toilets and achieving a nationwide ODF status.
- Phase II (SBM 2.0, 2020-2025): Focuses on sustaining the ODF status and implementing comprehensive solid and liquid waste management (SLWM).
The Swachh Bharat Mission represented a historic shift in political will, bringing the issue of sanitation from the background to the absolute forefront of the national agenda. Its scale was unprecedented, aiming to change the behavior of over 500 million people and radically transform the country’s sanitation landscape in just five years.
Core Objectives of the Mission
SBM was designed with a clear set of ambitious objectives that went beyond mere cleanliness:
- Elimination of Open Defecation: This was the most prominent and urgent goal. The mission aimed to ensure that every household, school, and public place had access to a safe and functional toilet.
- Eradication of Manual Scavenging: A key social reform objective was to put an end to the inhumane practice of manual scavenging by converting insanitary toilets into sanitary ones and providing alternative livelihoods for those engaged in this occupation.
- Modern and Scientific Waste Management: To introduce and popularize modern systems for solid and liquid waste management, including collection, segregation, processing, and disposal, to create “Garbage Free Cities” and villages.
- Inducing Widespread Behavioral Change: The mission’s architects understood that building infrastructure was not enough. The most critical objective was to trigger a fundamental shift in public attitudes and behaviors regarding cleanliness and hygiene through large-scale Information, Education, and Communication (IEC) campaigns.
- Capacity Building and Private Sector Participation: To strengthen the capabilities of Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) and Gram Panchayats to design and execute sanitation projects and to encourage private sector participation in the sanitation and waste management sectors.
Implementation Strategy and Key Components
The mission’s success can be attributed to its multi-faceted strategy that combined infrastructure creation with a high-voltage public campaign.
- Swachh Bharat Mission-Gramin (SBM-G):
- Focus: The primary focus was on motivating communities and Panchayati Raj Institutions to adopt sustainable sanitation practices.
- Individual Household Latrines (IHHL): The government provided a financial incentive of ₹12,000 for the construction of a household toilet for eligible beneficiaries (BPL and identified APL families). This amount was to be used for the construction and was often supplemented by the household’s own contribution.
- Community-Led Total Sanitation (CLTS): The strategy heavily relied on community-led approaches where facilitators would “trigger” a sense of disgust and shame about open defecation, leading the community to collectively decide to become ODF.
- Swachhagrahis: A cadre of grassroots volunteers, known as
Swachhagrahis(cleanliness ambassadors), were trained to go door-to-door to spread awareness and encourage toilet usage.
- Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban (SBM-U):
- Focus: The urban component focused on achieving 100% ODF status, 100% scientific processing of solid waste, and the construction of household, community, and public toilets.
- Solid Waste Management (SWM): This included promoting door-to-door waste collection, source segregation of waste (wet and dry), and setting up waste processing plants.
- Star Rating for Garbage Free Cities: A rating protocol was introduced to encourage cities to improve their cleanliness standards, creating a sense of competition.
- The
Jan Andolan(People’s Movement) Model: This was the mission’s unique selling proposition. High-profile brand ambassadors, from movie stars to sports icons, were roped in. The Prime Minister himself led from the front, often seen wielding a broom in public cleanliness drives. Massive media campaigns like “Darwaza Band” (Shut the Door) featuring celebrities were launched to make sanitation a topic of household conversation.
The Human Touch: A Story of Dignity and Security
In a small village in Jharkhand, 16-year-old Sunita dreaded the walk to the fields every morning and evening. For her and the other women in her village, answering nature’s call was an exercise in humiliation and fear. They had to wait for the cover of darkness, exposing themselves to the risk of snake bites, insect stings, and harassment from men. This daily ordeal was a major reason why many girls, upon reaching puberty, would drop out of school.
In 2017, a team of Swachhagrahis visited her village and held community meetings about the Swachh Bharat Mission. Inspired by the promise of safety and dignity, Sunita’s father, with the help of the government incentive, decided to build a toilet in their small courtyard. The day it was completed was a day of celebration. For Sunita, the small brick structure was more than just a toilet; it was a sanctuary. It gave her privacy, security, and a newfound sense of dignity. She no longer had to miss school during her menstrual cycle or live in constant fear during her daily ablutions. The toilet built under SBM didn’t just clean her village; it fundamentally changed her life, giving her the freedom to pursue her education with confidence.
Achievements, Impact, and Ongoing Challenges
SBM-Phase I was declared a resounding success in achieving its primary target.
- Key Achievements:
- On October 2, 2019, the Government of India declared that the entire country was ODF.
- Over 10 crore individual household toilets were constructed across the country between 2014 and 2019.
- According to a WHO report, the mission could potentially avert over 300,000 deaths from diarrheal diseases and protein-energy malnutrition between 2014 and 2019.
- Surveys like the National Annual Rural Sanitation Survey (NARSS) indicated that toilet usage was over 90%.
- Criticisms and Challenges:
- Sustainability of ODF Status: Critics have questioned whether the ODF status is sustainable in the long run. Reports have emerged of some toilets being non-functional due to lack of water supply or poor construction quality, forcing people to return to open defecation.
- Behavioral Change is a Process: While the mission successfully spurred toilet construction, ensuring consistent usage requires a long-term, sustained effort to change deeply ingrained habits.
- The Waste Management Challenge: While the ODF target was largely met, the progress on scientific solid and liquid waste management has been slower. This is the primary focus of the mission’s second phase.
- Swachh Bharat Mission 2.0: The second phase aims to move beyond toilets to a more holistic vision of cleanliness. Its key goals include sustaining the ODF status (ODF-S), ensuring effective management of solid and liquid waste in all villages (ODF-Plus), managing plastic waste, and treating wastewater to prevent the pollution of water bodies.
Conclusion
The Swachh Bharat Mission will be remembered as one of the largest and most impactful behavioral change campaigns in human history. It successfully brought the issue of sanitation, once a taboo topic, into the mainstream national discourse. By framing cleanliness as a matter of national pride and individual dignity, it mobilized millions of citizens and government officials towards a common goal. While the road to a completely clean India is long and challenges related to waste management and sustained behavior change persist, the mission has achieved a monumental feat. It has not only built millions of toilets but has also laid the crucial groundwork for a healthier, safer, and more dignified future for all Indian citizens