The Clean India Mission: World’s Largest Sanitation Initiative

The United Nations wants open defecation banned by 2030 since it is one of the world’s greatest health dangers and a primary cause of child death. India had 60% of the world’s open defecators a few years ago, but the government claims that this number has dropped dramatically because of the Clean India Mission, also known as the Swachh Bharat Mission.

When the campaign was launched in 2014 as a People’s Movement to abolish open defecation, only about four out of every ten rural Indian homes had access to a toilet. Official numbers placed coverage at 100% by the end of the show, which commemorated Mahatma Gandhi’s 150th birthday on October 2, 2019.

Swachh Bharat Abhiyan is divided into two parts: one for urban sanitation and the other for rural sanitation. Swachh Bharat Urban is overseen by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, while Swachh Bharat Gramin is overseen by the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation. State governments were to implement the initiative, with help from the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation and the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs. Since the mission’s inception, over 100 million toilets have been installed in rural and urban India. With a variety of nationwide advertisements in traditional media as well as on social media, the initiative has emphasised social and behavioural change communication.

The advertisements aimed to dispel myths and misconceptions about toilet construction, maintenance, and use, as well as to encourage people to build toilets and combat the social perception that only women, the elderly, or sick family members should use them. The initiative has enlisted the help of public celebrities, such as famous cricketers, actors, and politicians, as ambassadors. Another key role was performed by trained grassroot level volunteers known as Swachhagrahis, or “Ambassadors of Cleanliness,” who assisted in the installation of toilets as well as in campaigning and monitoring.

Other types of incentives were applied as well. The state government provides additional funding to villages that have been proclaimed Open Defecation Free, and authorities from successful districts have received official honours and recognition.