On October 2, Prime Minister Narendra Modi started the great Swachh Bharat Abhiyan of cleaning entire India by 2019. The objective was to provide sanitation facilities to all rural and semi-urban areas of the country, and proper solid and waste water treatment, including removal of garbage, debris and unauthorised encroachments from roads, markets and residential places. On October 2, wielding a broom in his hand, NaMo started his campaign from Rajpath, accompanied by other officials, and requested everyone to make this mission a success.To encourage more and more people to take part in Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, PM Narendra Modi being a fan of modern age social media marketing invited nine people to be a part of this great clean India campaign. PM initiated a chain cleaning mission by inviting the nine eminent personalities like cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar, Goa Governor Mridula Sinha, industrialist Anil Ambani, Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, film actors Salman Khan, Priyanka Chopra and Kamal Hassan, yoga guru Ramdev and the entire team of popular TV serial Tarak Mehta Ka Ulta Chashma. PMs main motive was to make the movement a mass peoples movement through viral marketing so that these nine invitees nominate nine more people to join the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan and in this way the chain would continue and become bigger and bigger.Nine invited celebrities accept PMs invitation through social media and tweetsOn 2 October, Anil Ambani said in a statement that he was honoured to be invited by Prime Minister to join the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan and he would dedicate himself to this movement wholeheartedly and will invite nine other leading Indians to join him in the Clean India campaign. Congress leader and former Union minister Shashi Tharoor had accepted Prime Minister Narendra Modis invitation and said that he feels honoured to join this ambitious programme and wants this programme to be a continued one and not just an act of tokenism. He tweeted, Honoured to accept the invitation of PM Goa Governor Mridula Sinha responded to the invite and said that this is every citizens mission and hoped that Goa becomes the first state to make this a success. Sachin Tendulkar also responded, I humbly accept the challenge. In fact, he posted a small video on his Facebook official fan page, where he said, Its a great idea for our country to do a clean-up act. Actress Priyanka Chopra tweeted, I humbly accept respected Prime Minster Narendra Modijis challenge. This is an idea that is long overdue. She said that if all people do not come forward to support this programme, then nothing can happen. Only people of the country can make a difference. Baba Ramdev on receiving the invite tweeted, My Idea of Swachh Bharat is Clean India on roads, sanitation for all and every citizen with swachh and spiritually pious heart. Actor Kamal Haasan was thankful to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for inviting him in this mission. In fact, he also posted a video in which he said that he is involved in this cleaning movement for the past 20 years by setting up a social service organisation with the help of his fans and now he feels all the more responsible to make the programme a huge success where he will try to bring not just nine but nine million more if he can. He said, It is not connected to just one party. It is connected to those one billion plus that constitutes this country. Thank you, for awakening my commitment again. Bollywood superstar Salman Khan tweeted, Me and my Foundation accept the invite from our honourable Prime Minister for Swachh Bharat and will give our 100 per cent for My Clean India. The entire team of the soap opera Tarak Mehta Ka Ulta Chashma also said that they would be involved in the cleaning mission and make the Prime Ministers vision successful.Bollywood celebrities Besides the nine celebrities, actor Aamir Khan was the first celebrity from Bollywood who was involved in the clean India mission from day one. Aamir Khan shared the stage with PM NaMo on 2nd October when the programme was launched. He also tweeted, Sirf ek kadam. In fact he took the pledge with NaMo at the India Gate to thousands of people, including children and government employees for remaining committed to cleanliness.Others from Bollywood fraternity like Parineeti Chopra, Alia Bhatt, Akshay Kumar, Anupam Kher, Ajay Devgan, Neha Dhupia, Hritik Roshan pledged for a clean India and appealed to everyone to carry the message for a Swachh Bharat forward. Hritik Roshan with filmmaker Subash Ghai participated in a tree plantation drive in Mumbai on October 2. Indian shooter Gagan Narang, Indian boxer Vijender Singh, BJP MP and Bhoj Puri actor Manoj Tiwari, also joined the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.Ministers, political partiesHRD Minsiter Smriti Irani was involved in the cleaning campaign along with NaMo. Home Minister Rajnath Singh launched the Swachh Bharat campaign from his constituency in Lucknow. On October 4, Rajnath Singh ordered Delhi Police Commissioner B S Bassi to ensure that all police stations and nearby complexes are cleaned within a week, and he may make surprise visits. He also advised Bassi to observe the cleanliness drive in police buildings. Former Prime Minister and Janata Dal (S) supremo H D Deve Gowda also joined PM Narendra Modis Clean India campaign. He took a broom and swept the Hassan railway station on the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti. Union Minister for Water Resource Uma Bharti visited the Nagar Nigam office at Jhansi and administered oath to the employees to join the campaign.The Supreme Court has also joined in the campaign under the direction of Chief Justice of India HL Dattu and Secretary General Ravindra Maithani by involving all employees and registrars to clean the Supreme court premises as well as the adjoining areas.Political parties like the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), too, joined in where few of the AAP members, including Kejriwal was seen cleaning up a part of the roads near the PMs residence in Delhi. A number of corporations have also joined in the campaign.This is just the beginning. We just hope that more and more people, not only the celebrities and the politicians, but also the general public come forward to take part in this great initiative. The enthusiasm should be kept going.

When Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the Swachh Bharat campaign on October 2, Gandhi Jayanthi day, with a vision for a Clean India by 2019, he had also invited nine celebrities to take up the challenge and carry it forward by example. The invited celebrities were Shashi Tharoor, Sachin Tendulkar, Anil Ambani, Salman Khan, Priyanka Chopra, Kamal Haasan, Mridula Sinha, Ramdev and the TV serial team Tarak Mehta Ka Ulta Chashma. He also asked each one of the celebrities to nominate nine each in their turn to further expand the scope and strength of the greatest ever cleanliness campaign, by continuing the chain. This is a great idea indeed and it is heartening to see all of them have taken up the challenge to spread awareness of cleanliness among each and every one of us.Salman KhanBollywood superstar Salman Khan accepted the challenge sent by Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan. He along with his team started cleaning up areas of Karjat village in Mumbai on October 21. A fresh coat of paint was applied to several houses in rural Karjat. He shared his pictures cleaning Karjat with the media. He thanked Narendra Modi for choosing him as one of the challengers in this great Clean India Mission. At his own expense, Salman Khan had decided to get every single house painted in the Karjat village. He is presently shooting in this place for his movie Prem Ratan Dhan Payo. He also requested all his fans on Facebook and Twitter to take part in the Clean India Campaign. He nominated eight others too in accordance with the Prime Ministers suggestion to nine well-known personalities to join the drive as well as to name nine each in their turn to multiply the strength of the campaign as it moves forward.His message on FB read, I nominate the following for the Swachh Bharat campaign and request them to further nominate nine more people. First, I nominate my fans on Facebook and followers on Twitter. Each one of us can make a difference. And I nominate Aamir Khan, Azim Premji, Chanda Kochhar, Omar Abdullah, Pradeep Dhoot, Rajat Sharma, Rajinikanth and Vineet Jain.Baba RamdevYoga guru Baba Ramdev, joining the ambitious Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan, along with his large number of supporters, cleaned the entire area from Kankhal, till Har Ki Pauri, the holiest of places, in Haridwar, on October 16. He also appealed to the people of Haridwar to take part in the campaign by cleaning their houses and roads and streets. He has plans to recruit more volunteers to strengthen the campaign, an on-going programme. Emphasising on the need for an educated, healthy and clean India, he said, We will work for sikshit, swasth and swachch bharat.Baba Ramdev is among nine people who had been invited by the Prime Minister to join the cleanliness drive.Anil AmbaniReliance Group chairman Anil Ambani, taking up the challenge of Swachh Bharat Mission, said, I am honoured to be invited by our respected Prime Minister Shri Narendrabhai Modi to join the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan. He took the broom on October 8 and cleaned an area outside the Church Gate Station in Mumbai, which was appreciated by Narendra Modi. Anil Ambani then invited nine prominent personalities to carry on the cleanliness campaign forward. These were Asian Games gold medallist boxer Mary Kom, film star Amitabh Bachchan, tennis star Sania Mirza, journalist Shekhar Gupta, columnist Shobha De, lyricist Prasoon Joshi, Telugu superstar Nagarjuna, Bollywood hero Hrithik Roshan, and Runners Clubs of India.Mary KomMary Kom accepted Anil Ambanis challenge of cleanliness campaign. Coming back from Incheon Asian Games after winning the gold medal, Mary Kom appreciated Narendra Modi for this great initiative and she along with her family members and the students of her boxing academy will take up the campaign in her home State of Manipur soon. The North East Border Area Development Organization (NEBADO), Manipur, under the district public health engineering department, has already started the mission at various villages of Kasom Khullen sub-division in Ukhrul. To carry forward the campaign, Mary Kom has invited some other personalities like footballer Sunil Chetri, Bollywood actor Darshan Kumar, wrestler Yogeshwar, wrestler Sushil Kumar and shooter Heena Sidhu and others to join the mission.Sachin TendulkarSachin Tendulkar wrote a letter to the Prime Minister, applauding him for the launch of this cleanliness drive, and also thanked him for his invitation to join this campaign. As a part of this campaign, he and his team of friends took brooms, spades and mattocks in their hands to clean the footpath on the road opposite the Bandra Reclamation Bus Depot. This footpath had been dumped with litter and garbage for a long time, as a result of which it was not used by the pedestrians. In fact, for many, this footpath was been misused as a place to relieve themselves. Tendulkar and his friends started very early in the morning. Soon, they were joined by the locals there and the rickshaw pullers nearby. It took them almost four hours to complete the entire stretch.After the completion of the cleanup of the footpath, Sachin Tendulaker and his friends also painted the compound wall adjoining the footpath. He then coordinated with the local municipal corporator, who responded enthusiastically to put up benches and solar lighting and grow plants. The Mumbai police also extended its support by ensuring that there would be no illegal parking along the footpath. Not only that, Sachin Tendular also visited the area the next day to clean the dump and litter accumulated during the previous day. Taking part in this cleanliness mission, Tendulkar said, I am committed to do more and urge all of you to do your bit in making Clean India a reality.NagarjunaNagarjuna accepts Anil Ambanis challenge. He is the latest to join this mission, after being nominated by Anil Ambani to spread the Swachh Bharat campaign. He said that it was a matter of great pride, and a huge responsibility and he promised that he would find ways to engage people and sustain the cleanliness awareness as well as create thousands of Swachh Bharat ambassadors.Amitabh Bachchan As a part of this great cleanliness mission, a significant step has been taken by RB (formerly known as Reckitt Benckiser), NDTV, Facebook and Dettol by launching Dettol Banega Swachh India. For this campaign, Amitabh Bacchan has been roped in as the brand ambassador and they have allocated a sum of Rs 100 crore over the next five years. The aim of this campaign is to provide expert guidance and insight in the need for behavioural change, spread the knowledge on the benefits of hygiene and sanitation to millions of people across the country, and also support and contribute towards the building of toilets, and keeping these clean and hygienic. In the initial phase, the group RB, the global leader in consumer health and hygiene, will cover around 400 villages across eight States UP, Bihar, Jharkhand, Haryana, Rajasthan, Chattisgarh, MP & Maharashtra.The idea of spreading the campaign through an expanding chain is brilliant and we are thankful to the celebrities who are actively in the mission. But, this is not a one-day campaign. And this is not a campaign meant only for the celebrities. The celebrities drive is no doubt important as many of us do ape the celebrities and try to be one like them. If they can do it, why cant we? It is time for the aam janta too to get involved in the cleanliness drive.

Mahatma Gandhi had rightly said, Sanitation is more important than Independence. He was aware of the pathetic situation of Indian rural people at that time and he dreamt of a clean India where he emphasised on cleanliness and sanitation as an integral part of living. Unfortunately, after 67 years of independence, we have only about 30% of the rural households with access to toilets. President Pranab Mukherjee, in his address to Parliament in June 2014, said, For ensuring hygiene, waste management and sanitation across the nation a Swachh Bharat Mission will be launched. This will be our tribute to Mahatma Gandhi on his 150th birth anniversary to be celebrated in the year 2019.First Cleanliness Drive Started on 25 September 2014A cleanliness drive, just before the formal launch of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, was carried out from 25 September till 23 October by all offices up to panchayat level. As a part of the awareness campaign, the Delhi Government also covered more than eight lakh ration card holders by sending sms to their mobile numbers.Swachh Bharat Launched on 2 October 2014The Narendra Modi Government launched the Swachh Bharat movement to solve the sanitation problem and waste management in India by ensuring hygiene across the country. Emphasising on Clean India in his 2014 Independence day speech, PM Modi said that this movement is associated with the economic activity of the country. The prime objective of the mission is to create sanitation facilities for all. It aims to provide every rural family with a toilet by 2019.Objectives of Swachh Bharat AbhiyanThe objectives of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan include the following1.Construct individual, cluster and community toilets.2.Eliminate or reduce open defecation. Open defecation is one of the main causes of deaths of thousands of children each year.3.Construct latrines and work towards establishing an accountable mechanism of monitoring latrine use.4.Create Public awareness about the drawbacks of open defecation and promotion of latrine use.5.Recruit dedicated ground staff to bring about behavioural change and promotion of latrine use.6.Change peoples mindset towards proper sanitation use.7.Keep villages clean.8.Ensure solid and liquid waste management through gram panchayats.9.Lay water pipelines in all villages, ensuring water supply to all households by 2019.What is Modis opinion?Modi has directly linked the Clean India movement with the economic health of the nation. This mission, according to him, can contribute to GDP growth, provide a source of employment and reduce health costs, thereby connecting to an economic activity. Cleanliness is no doubt connected to the tourism and global interests of the country as a whole. It is time that Indias top 50 tourist destinations displayed highest standard of hygiene and cleanliness so as to change the global perception.Clean India can bring in more tourists, thereby increasing the revenue. He has appealed to the people to devote 100 hours every year to cleanliness. Not only the sanitation programme, Modi also laid emphasis on solid waste management and waste water management. Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister of Rural Development, Drinking Water & Sanitation, said that solid and liquid waste management activities using scientifically proven advanced techniques will be launched in each gram panchayat. Narendra Modi has also directed that separate toilets for boys and girls should be provided in every school in the country by 15 August, 2015.Modis Nominees for Promoting the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan On 2 October, 2014, Modi nominated nine celebrities from various fields to propagate the mission, considering the new age marketing via social media. The nominated personalities included, Anil Ambani, Mridula Sinha, Baba Ramdev, Kamal Hassan, Priyanka Chopra, Sachin Tendulkar, Salman Khan, Shashi Tharoor and the team of the TV series Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah.On 25 December, Modi nominated nine more people including the comedian Kapil Sharma, Sourav Ganguly, Kiran Bedi, Padmanabha Acharya, Nagaland Governor, Sonal Mansingh, Ramoji Rao of Eenadu group and Aroon Purie to take forward his Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan. Some organisations such as the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India, India Today, Eenadu and the popular dabbewale of Mumbai were also nominated to be the torchbearers.Funds AllocationThis project is expected to cost over Rs. 2 lakhs crore. Fund sharing between the Central and State Governments and Urban Local Bodies is allocated in the ratio of 75:25. It has been officially stated that for North Eastern and special category states, the allocation of funds is in the ratio of 90:10. To give a boost to the project, the government has sought financial and technical support from the World Bank. Also, all big corporates and private organisations are asked to join the movement as part of their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative.Measures Proposed in 2015-16 Union Budget Describing Clean India campaign as a programme for preventive healthcare, and building awareness, the Finance Minister Arun Jaitley proposed that the donations made to the Swachh Bharat Mission and the Clean Ganga Fund will be eligible for tax deductions under the Income Tax Act. The budget also proposed Swachh Bharat cess on select services at the rate of up to 2 per cent. The resources generated from this cess will be leveraged for funding initiatives towards the campaign.Construction of 31.83 lakhs Toilets till January 2015According to government data, in January 2015, 7.1 lakh individual household toilets have been built under this dream project. This number is considered the highest for any month since its launch in October 2014. 31.83 lakhs individual toilets have been built until January 2015. So far, Karnataka is the best performer by achieving 61% of the target while Punjab is the worst performer by achieving 5% of the target.The Pledge for All PM Narendra Modi has urged each and every one of us to pledge the following as a part of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan:I will remain committed towards cleanliness and devote time for this. I will devote 100 hours per year, that is two hours per week, to voluntarily work for cleanliness. I will neither litter not let others litter. I will initiate the quest for cleanliness with myself, my family, my locality, my village and my work place.Lets Make Swachh Bharat Abhiyan a SuccessThe PM has rightly asserted that Swachh Bharat Abhiyan should be a combined effort of both the Government as well as the people. We hope that the Swachh Bharat Mission does not become another Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan started by the previous Government in 1999 with the same mission but was far from a success.Swachh Bharat Abhiyan should not be a mere re-branding exercise. There is no doubt about the fact that change begins at home. Every citizen of the country should take it upon himself to make this campaign a success rather than waiting for the government to do. Let us also hope that we can change the attitude of the people towards hygiene and be the change we want to see.

When Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the Swachh Bharat campaign on October 2, Gandhi Jayanthi day, with a vision for a Clean India by 2019, he had also invited nine celebrities to take up the challenge and carry it forward by example. The invited celebrities were Shashi Tharoor, Sachin Tendulkar, Anil Ambani, Salman Khan, Priyanka Chopra, Kamal Haasan, Mridula Sinha, Ramdev and the TV serial team Tarak Mehta Ka Ulta Chashma. He also asked each one of the celebrities to nominate nine each in their turn to further expand the scope and strength of the greatest ever cleanliness campaign, by continuing the chain. This is a great idea indeed and it is heartening to see all of them have taken up the challenge to spread awareness of cleanliness among each and every one of us.Salman KhanBollywood superstar Salman Khan accepted the challenge sent by Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan. He along with his team started cleaning up areas of Karjat village in Mumbai on October 21. A fresh coat of paint was applied to several houses in rural Karjat. He shared his pictures cleaning Karjat with the media. He thanked Narendra Modi for choosing him as one of the challengers in this great Clean India Mission. At his own expense, Salman Khan had decided to get every single house painted in the Karjat village. He is presently shooting in this place for his movie Prem Ratan Dhan Payo. He also requested all his fans on Facebook and Twitter to take part in the Clean India Campaign. He nominated eight others too in accordance with the Prime Ministers suggestion to nine well-known personalities to join the drive as well as to name nine each in their turn to multiply the strength of the campaign as it moves forward.His message on FB read, I nominate the following for the Swachh Bharat campaign and request them to further nominate nine more people. First, I nominate my fans on Facebook and followers on Twitter. Each one of us can make a difference. And I nominate Aamir Khan, Azim Premji, Chanda Kochhar, Omar Abdullah, Pradeep Dhoot, Rajat Sharma, Rajinikanth and Vineet Jain.Baba RamdevYoga guru Baba Ramdev, joining the ambitious Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan, along with his large number of supporters, cleaned the entire area from Kankhal, till Har Ki Pauri, the holiest of places, in Haridwar, on October 16. He also appealed to the people of Haridwar to take part in the campaign by cleaning their houses and roads and streets. He has plans to recruit more volunteers to strengthen the campaign, an on-going programme. Emphasising on the need for an educated, healthy and clean India, he said, We will work for sikshit, swasth and swachch bharat.Baba Ramdev is among nine people who had been invited by the Prime Minister to join the cleanliness drive.Anil AmbaniReliance Group chairman Anil Ambani, taking up the challenge of Swachh Bharat Mission, said, I am honoured to be invited by our respected Prime Minister Shri Narendrabhai Modi to join the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan. He took the broom on October 8 and cleaned an area outside the Church Gate Station in Mumbai, which was appreciated by Narendra Modi. Anil Ambani then invited nine prominent personalities to carry on the cleanliness campaign forward. These were Asian Games gold medallist boxer Mary Kom, film star Amitabh Bachchan, tennis star Sania Mirza, journalist Shekhar Gupta, columnist Shobha De, lyricist Prasoon Joshi, Telugu superstar Nagarjuna, Bollywood hero Hrithik Roshan, and Runners Clubs of India.Mary KomMary Kom accepted Anil Ambanis challenge of cleanliness campaign. Coming back from Incheon Asian Games after winning the gold medal, Mary Kom appreciated Narendra Modi for this great initiative and she along with her family members and the students of her boxing academy will take up the campaign in her home State of Manipur soon. The North East Border Area Development Organization (NEBADO), Manipur, under the district public health engineering department, has already started the mission at various villages of Kasom Khullen sub-division in Ukhrul. To carry forward the campaign, Mary Kom has invited some other personalities like footballer Sunil Chetri, Bollywood actor Darshan Kumar, wrestler Yogeshwar, wrestler Sushil Kumar and shooter Heena Sidhu and others to join the mission.Sachin TendulkarSachin Tendulkar wrote a letter to the Prime Minister, applauding him for the launch of this cleanliness drive, and also thanked him for his invitation to join this campaign. As a part of this campaign, he and his team of friends took brooms, spades and mattocks in their hands to clean the footpath on the road opposite the Bandra Reclamation Bus Depot. This footpath had been dumped with litter and garbage for a long time, as a result of which it was not used by the pedestrians. In fact, for many, this footpath was been misused as a place to relieve themselves. Tendulkar and his friends started very early in the morning. Soon, they were joined by the locals there and the rickshaw pullers nearby. It took them almost four hours to complete the entire stretch.After the completion of the cleanup of the footpath, Sachin Tendulaker and his friends also painted the compound wall adjoining the footpath. He then coordinated with the local municipal corporator, who responded enthusiastically to put up benches and solar lighting and grow plants. The Mumbai police also extended its support by ensuring that there would be no illegal parking along the footpath. Not only that, Sachin Tendular also visited the area the next day to clean the dump and litter accumulated during the previous day. Taking part in this cleanliness mission, Tendulkar said, I am committed to do more and urge all of you to do your bit in making Clean India a reality.NagarjunaNagarjuna accepts Anil Ambanis challenge. He is the latest to join this mission, after being nominated by Anil Ambani to spread the Swachh Bharat campaign. He said that it was a matter of great pride, and a huge responsibility and he promised that he would find ways to engage people and sustain the cleanliness awareness as well as create thousands of Swachh Bharat ambassadors.Amitabh Bachchan As a part of this great cleanliness mission, a significant step has been taken by RB (formerly known as Reckitt Benckiser), NDTV, Facebook and Dettol by launching Dettol Banega Swachh India. For this campaign, Amitabh Bacchan has been roped in as the brand ambassador and they have allocated a sum of Rs 100 crore over the next five years. The aim of this campaign is to provide expert guidance and insight in the need for behavioural change, spread the knowledge on the benefits of hygiene and sanitation to millions of people across the country, and also support and contribute towards the building of toilets, and keeping these clean and hygienic. In the initial phase, the group RB, the global leader in consumer health and hygiene, will cover around 400 villages across eight States UP, Bihar, Jharkhand, Haryana, Rajasthan, Chattisgarh, MP & Maharashtra.The idea of spreading the campaign through an expanding chain is brilliant and we are thankful to the celebrities who are actively in the mission. But, this is not a one-day campaign. And this is not a campaign meant only for the celebrities. The celebrities drive is no doubt important as many of us do ape the celebrities and try to be one like them. If they can do it, why cant we? It is time for the aam janta too to get involved in the cleanliness drive.

The countrys biggest-ever cleanliness drive, Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on October 2 with a target set for making India clean by 2019. With the formal announcement of the programme, ministers, celebrities, sport stars, politicians, political parties, the judiciary and corporations and others have all come forward to be a part of this programme and to encourage the general public to participate actively in this mission.Various states of the country responded actively to the Swachh Bharat mission and participated in it with enthusiasm. Here is a brief description on how different states were involved in the launch of Clean India campaign.Madhya PradeshMadhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan launched the Swachh Bharat campaign emphasising the need for cleanliness to ensure the beauty and progress of a place. Wielding a broom in Bhopal, he requested people to devote at least two hours in a week towards cleanliness. Like NaMo, he also administered a pledge to the people, and government officials and employees.GujaratThe state government of Gujarat announced a special cleanliness drive in connection with Clean India Campaign. Under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Mrs. Anandiben Patel, a meeting was organised in which it was decided that the state would participate in the cleanliness campaign from 2nd October to 31st October, the birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. The cleanliness campaign was launched at Porbandar, the birthplace of Mahatma Gandhi, and Swachh Bharat Abhiyan will continue to be celebrated in phased manner till 2019. The movement had been responded enthusiastically by the people on its first day, and is expected to provide a boost to the tourism sector of the state.AssamIn Assam, Swachh Bharat Abhiyan was launched on 2nd October by Sports Minister Sarbanand Sonowal in Guwahati railway station in the presence of officials of the North East Frontier Railways. Assam Chief Secretary Jitesh Khosla launched the drive at Old Janata Bhawan premises in Guwahati. Government employees and the common people have vowed to contribute towards this Abhiyan.However, the actual campaign started on 5th October when Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi joined in the cleaning campaign by sweeping garbage in three different localities of the state capital. NGOs, public organizations and the common people took part in the campaign organized by the Kamrup Metropolitan District Administration and Guwahati Municipal Corporation (GMC). Tarun Gogoi announced the forming of Green Brigade committees to keep the localities neat and clean. Though Gogoi had mentioned that he had launched a similar programme in 2012, it was not a successful one. But this time the cleanliness drive will be a continuous process in Guwahati and in other parts of the state. While he launched the swachh campaign in Guwahati, his other ministers and Congress MLAs launched the clean India drive in different districts on 5th Oct.MaharashtraMaharashtra Governor Vidyasagar Rao gave a cleanliness vow to the officers and staff of his state ministry to mark the launch of the Swachh Bharat Mission. The Governor read out the pledge to the state government officials in Marathi. Over 10,000 employees of Central and Western Railways joined the Swachh Bharat mission by carrying out cleanliness drives in different parts of the state.Uttar PradeshUnion Home Minister Rajnath Singh started the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan in his home state. He said that only a clean India can be healthy, and appealed to every person to dedicate at least two hours per week for cleanliness. Union Minister for Water Resources Uma Bharti, launched the mission in her constituency Jhansi and said she will devote 300 hours annually to the mission. She said that the cleaning will continue on a daily basis. She also visited the Nagar Nigam office in Jhansi and administered a pledge in front of the employees to join the campaign.Andhra Pradesh and TelanganaChief Minister Chandrababu Naidu of the state of Andhra Pradesh had participated in Swachh Bharat Abhiyan at Prakash Nagar in Vijayawada on 2nd Oct. He took part in a cleaning programme and a padayatra, appealing everyone to participate in the cleanliness drive. Union Minister of State for Commerce Nirmala Sitaraman and several state ministers took active participation in the campaign. The state government also launched NTR Sujala Scheme which will provide 20 litres of pure water at the cost of Rs 2 in all the 13 districts.In Telangana, Governor ESL Narasimhan along with government employees took brooms and cleaned the roads and took part in another cleaning up programme in a school in Hyderabad. He emphasised on promoting green practices to protect environment and also urged to keep the surroundings clean.Punjab and HaryanaIn Punjab and Haryana, too, a cleanliness drive was launched, which was carried out in offices, police headquarters, Raj Bhawan, etc. To make it a peoples movement, officials, activists, citizens, employees and school children across Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh took a cleanliness oath on 2nd Oct. At Punjab police headquarters, officials took the pledge in the presence of Punjab Director General of Police (DGP) Sumedh Singh. Punjab governor Shivraj V Patil appealed to everyone to inculcate the habit of cleanliness, and encourage others to participate in the drive. He also mentioned that proper steps will be taken to maintain the cleanliness of important public places of Chandigarh. In Haryana too, many participated in the campaign. Cleanliness drives were launched in different parts of Haryana.BiharUnion Ministers Ramvilas Paswan, Upendra Kushwaha, Ravishankar Prasad and actor-politician Shatrughan Sinha, along with Bihar Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi, took up the broom to formally start the Swachh Bharat mission in Bihar on the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. They started the cleanliness drive at different places in the state. Paswan and Kushwaha cleaned the platform and premises of Hajipur Railway station, while Ravishankar Prasad, along with General Manager of East Central Railway (ECR) zone Madhuresh Kumar took part in the mission at Patna junction station. MP Shatrughan Sinha took part in the campaign at Patna Airport. The Chief Minister flagged off a vehicle which would travel around the state to spread awareness of cleanliness among the people. ECR officials swept the platforms and station premises of different big and small stations.It is a matter of great satisfaction for all to see the states are getting actively involved in Swachh Bharat Abhiyan. The Mission needs to be continued with full enthusiasm so that it will be a success by 2019.Read more :

Today is World Toilet Day. In 2001, on November 19, World Toilet Organization, an NGO, was formed with a view to improving toilet and sanitation conditions all over the world. Since then, this day is observed as world toilet day by the 53 member-countries of this organisation and by international and civil society bodies all across the globe. However, it was only last year, in 2013, that the day was formally recognised by the United Nations General Assembly and was declared as the World Toilet Day. November 19 this year is therefore the second annual World Toilet Day. This is coordinated by UN-Water, a UN inter-agency set-up, in association with Governments and important stakeholders.It has been stated in the World Toilet Organizations 2013 Annual Report that around 2.5 billion people all over the world do not have access to toilets. In spite of the universal right to water and sanitation, it is sad that around 1 billion people in the world still regularly defecate in the open.The World Toilet Day is celebrated as a day to raise awareness about this problem. This is an initiative taken by the United Nations to replace silence with action, and to make sure that all political leaders work together to meet the Millennium Development Goal, that includes provision and improvement in sanitation for the worlds poorest.Theme for World Toilet Day 2014: Equality and DignityThis year the theme is Equality and Dignity. The idea behind this theme is to take appropriate actions to end open defecation and emphasise on how to achieve improved sanitation so that there is reduction or end to assault and violence on women and girls.There is no doubt, for women and girls to defecate in the open means that human safety and dignity are at stake. Women and girls risk rape and abuse when they go out at odd hours to relieve themselves because of absence of toilet facilities which also infringes privacy.Even in the areas where toilets are available there are drawbacks in usability. There is lack of toilets for people with special needs, the disabled, and the elderly, there is lack of running water facilities in the toilets to manage menstrual hygiene for girls and women and so on. No toilets for these people means they are excluded from opportunities to go to work or attend school. Access to toilets can help to keep children in school and avoid other problems.Since there are inequalities involved in areas with toilets as well, the theme for the year is, Equality and Dignity.Some hard facts about water and toilet problemsOf the 1 billion people in the world who have no toilets, India accounts for almost 600 million. Medical studies have shown that 1 gram of human fecal matter relieved in the open can be the cause of 50 communicable diseases, harbouring 10 million viruses, 1 million bacteria, 1,000 parasite cysts and 100 worm eggs. About half of worlds hospital beds are occupied by those with water-borne diseases. On an average, around 1,400 children die every day on account of diarrhoea caused by contaminated water and poor sanitation. More people in the world have a mobile phone rather than a toilet. Lack of sanitation kills more people every year than war and violence. Girls drop out of school due to lack of sanitation and toilet facilities. Last but not the least, every $ saved in sanitation can save 7$ in health costs.Swachh Bharat Abhiyan: India and World Toilet DayOn October 2 this year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan or the Clean Bharat Mission with the objective of providing toilets and sanitation, running water facilities to all the people of India, and to make the country clean by 2019. Many people all over the country, the political leaders, the celebrities from the sports and films fraternity, various private and public organisations, NGOs, the religious organisations, including the common man and the children have all come forward to make this mission a great success.Photographs of toilets being constructed to be uploadedOn World Toilet Day, a circular has been issued by the Government that henceforth all Government-appointed surveyors will have to upload photographs of the toilets under construction. This is in connection with the Management Information System (MIS) to keep a sound track of the ongoing process of toilet construction in various areas of the country. In fact, this is to avoid any false claims by people on toilets being constructed under the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan. The idea is to strengthen the monitoring system.Photographs of toilet being constructed under the Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan from April 2014 and all new toilets from October 2 under the Swachh Bharat Mission need to be uploaded. The photographs uploaded should also include the reporting of each individual household latrine (IHHL) during data entry of progress every month. The photographs of the IHHLs reported constructed from April 1 till October 2014 should also be uploaded. The surveyors can use their own Android mobile phones. However, the expenses need not be borne by them. In the States, the Principal Secretaries or Secretaries in-charge have been asked to monitor rural sanitation.Delhi observes World Toilet DayA three-day international toilet festival was organised on the eve of the World Toilet Day in the national Capital by the Sulabh International, which works to promote sanitation. The aim was to spread the message of cleanliness and sanitation as defecating in the open is a common sight. About 900 students and delegates from countries like Sri Lanka, Laos, Vietnam, Bhutan, Nepal and Afghanistan participated. Each participant took an oath of cleanliness, calling for toilets and clean surroundings in keeping with Swachh Bharat Abhiyan. Women from Nayi Disha, an NGO, also took part in this festival. Students and others joined in a rally holding banners, replicas of toilet seats and steel cans, and shouting slogans of cleanliness. Thousands of balloons with messages of cleanliness and sanitation were also released on the occasion.Suman Chahar, senior vice-president, Sulabh International, said, The Government of India has already launched the mission for toilets for all and we are joining to ensure its success.

In a country like India, access to sanitation facilities and safe drinking water is still a distant dream. While India is progressing in other aspects, lack of sanitation and drinking water facilities have acted as impediments to the development process. These basic rights are not only important to health and sustainable development, but also very essential for removal of poverty and overall growth of the country. According to latest estimates by the UN, around 600 million people or 48% of the total population in India defecates in the open, which is more than in any other country in the world. Under these circumstances, can the Swachh Bharat Mission to make India a Clean India by 2019 be a success?However, an interesting fact to note is that while there are millions of people in the world who defecate in the open, we have the examples of many South Asian countries where people consider sanitation as dignity and cleanliness. Its high time now that our country, our people, the Government in continuation with the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan should try to follow the examples of some South Asian countries in making our nation a clean nation. We give below the names of a few Asian countries which have been considered as some of the cleanest countries of the world and whose methods and policies can be followed in India:SingaporeSingapore is the smallest country in Southeast Asia but one of the best places to live in Asia. Singapore has emphasised the need to have good water, proper water conservation, pure air, clean energy, controlled traffic and efficient energy supply.Some key issues that India can follow from Singapore are as follow:In 1967, the Government had launched Singapore Clean Campaign and this was soon followed by the Public Health Law. This was one of the first legal measures undertaken by the nation to regulate and change public health behaviours. Even today it has adhered to the objectives of the campaign. The Government has always emphasised on making Singapore a Garden City, with key focus on perfect urban planning and pollution control. Today the city is clean and green. The clean water bodies of the country provide clean water for all. Since long, the Government has relied on 3 Rs reduce, reuse and recycle. There are progressive environmental policies in the country. All steps are taken to conserve the natural resources of the country. There are various initiatives undertaken on a regular basis such as Clean & Green Singapore Schools Carnival, Bring Your Own Bag Day at supermarkets, ABC Waters Programme etc. which have played important roles in trying to make Singapore a city within a garden. Also, the Government had come up with the scheme of providing Government-subsidised low-income housing. This was an indirect way to provide access to household sanitation. The availability of affordable public housing led to a large number of people moving from unfit slum housing or kampong, where open defecation was common, to houses with access to personal safe sanitation.JapanOn Teachers Day, when the Prime Minister gave his speech to thousands of students, he referred to his visit to Japan to emphasise how spirit of cleanliness and equalism were being instilled in the children in that country. In Japan, cleanliness is part and parcel of life. Here, cleanliness is not a personal issue but a public one and hence each and every citizen contributes towards cleanliness.Some key issues that India can follow from Japan are as follow:In Japan, it is said that cleanliness has spiritual origins, even part of the Shinto belief system, which has many purification rituals stressing cleanliness. Japans obsession with hygiene is not new. It started with a systematic national campaign, which dates back to the Meiji era (1868-1912), which linked hygiene to nationalism. Hygiene and cleanliness was carried out as a moral practice as well as in the name of the nation. In Japan, students and teachers together clean and mop up toilets. This was a part of character building from a young age. Japanese are born hygiene conscious. It is a common sight to see Japanese women and men, regularly wearing surgical masks and white gloves, specially the women. Japans toilets are actual demonstration of modern technology. All Japanese homes have separate rooms each for washing face, brushing teeth, the bath and the toilet. Its been legally notified in Japan to keep the pet dog on a leash and dog owners to pick up the dogs shit on the road in a bag and dispose it at home. And if the dog urinates, the owner has to wash it away with water. Well-known brands of Japan like Toyota introduced three popular car models with anti-bacterial steering wheels and other parts. Matsushita introduced the worlds first anti-bacterial clothes dryer. Hitachi has turned automated teller machine (ATM) that sterilizes and irons yen notes before dispensing them.South KoreaIn South Korea, sanitation policy is within a single ministry, but any plans and programmes are run through multiple agencies and ministries. It may not be in top ranks as the cleanest country but it is definitely

As part of its job to keep the national Capital clean, the municipal corporations have come up with yet another notification of penalising pet owners if their pets are found littering public places in Delhi. This obviously was prompted by the nation-wide launch of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan. Sanitary officials will be deployed at various locations and they will challan the erring owners of pets. However, before implementing the order, the corporations will try to raise the awareness of the people on the issue. The penalty will be hefty amounts so as to deter the offenders.It is a common sight to see dog owners taking their dogs out in the early mornings or late evenings or anytime they like to respond to their natures call on the roads and making the roads filthy. This regular practice of dogs peeing or shitting on the roads as well as inside residential complexes has to stop.It is time now that the owners should know how to handle the poo habits of their pets and at the same time take proper responsibility of their pets. Let it be loudly known that it is just not tolerable to let the pets out to litter on the roads, let alone other nuisances to the neighbourhood and even threat to others life emanating from these dogs and their stylish lovers.This is not the first time that corporations have issued a notice for imposing penalties on pet owners with regard to the filthiness caused by their pets on the roads. Several notices were issued earlier also to deter people from littering the city by spitting, urinating and throwing garbage. But these could not implemented.Cleanliness and sanitation bylaws, 2013In September 2013, the corporations had sent a draft of Delhi cleanliness and sanitation bylaws. So far the Delhi Government has not taken any steps to implement it. The corporations are now urging the Government to approve the draft as soon as possible so that stern measures can be adopted to make the city clean and litter-free and make the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan a success by 2019.According to the draft of the bylaws, spitting, defecating and bathing in public places would call for big penalties from municipal officials who would issue challans on the spot to the offenders. Once the sanitation bylaws come into effect, hefty challans will be imposed on all those who dirty the roads.Cleanliness and sanitation bylaws, 2009Similarly, there was also the Delhi cleanliness and sanitation bylaws 2009 drafted which called for a fine ranging from Rs 50 to Rs 500 for littering on roads, and also fines for spitting, urinating, washing utensils and bathing in public places and not keeping residential service lanes clean. However, this was not approved by the then Government.At present, the penalty amount is very minimal. In fact, it has remained the same for a very long time. These amounts fixed under the Delhi Municipal Corporation (DMC) Act, 1957, have not been raised for the past 53 years now and therefore wont act as any deterrent for Delhiites to stop littering, spitting etc.An anti-litter law was drafted in 2011 also and this too was also not approved by Delhi Government.If the new bylaws 2013 is be implemented, the fines will go up to thousands of rupees for some offences. Maybe this would stop Delhiites from littering on the roads.What is the practice in other countries?In most countries, littering on the roads by pets is banned. Pet owners take full responsibility of keeping the roads litter-free by keeping the pets on leash while walking on the roads, carrying a bag with them to take the pets faeces on the roads back home for disposal. In fact, in countries like Japan, the owners also carry with them a water bottle to wash the area where the pet urinates.What can be done here?Regarding the pets faeces, the people of Delhi should start developing the habit of carrying bags with them to carry the faeces back home for disposal. Dump the contents into the toilet and flush. Also, in housing complexes, pet defecation areas should be within the premises. The owners should train their pets to defecate in the slotted place only. Bury the waste and let it be transformed to a natural compost. Efforts can also be taken to use a poop collection service like in some other countries to pick it up from your housing complex or homes. But, yes, this requires the joint efforts of all the pet owners in a community along with the resident welfare association.The big questionSome people say cleanliness should come from within. Because the mother of all dirt resides within. They say enforcement of laws and fines have failed. They say the people must come forward to stay clean and maintain cleanliness on their own! Any city, they say, will be a much better and cleaner place to live in if each and every individual promises the following:not to urinate, defecate or bathe in the open not to spit on the roads not to throw litter or garbage on the roads not to litter the roads with pets shit to maintain cleanliness of himself, his family and the community he lives in.So naive!Has such things ever worked? If yes, lets apply it to all types of crimes and scams!

On Gandhi Jayanti this year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, a somewhat ambitious, but laudable programme of cleaning India by the 150th anniversary of Gandhijis birth in 2019. This programme has a backing of the President and several celebrities and figures of national importance from various fields.This is a welcome move in a country where people wouldnt think twice about throwing the garbage outside their home window. As long as my house is clean, it does not matter how the roads or the neighbourhood looks, seems to be the over-riding thought pattern that has taken root in our psyche since ages. Breaking this familiar pattern is not only going to take time, but also a lot of effort from all the signatories to the campaign.One measure of cleanliness that is usually overlooked is the prevalence of communicable diseases. There are quite a few infections that are directly linked to lack of cleanliness. A few of these which are seen in India are:Those that spread due to food and water contaminationDiarrhoeal diseases: gastroenteritis, dysentery, rota virus, cholera, hepatitis A and E Typhoid and rat bite feverThose that are spread by insectsDengue Chikungunya MalariaOf these, the one of topical interest is dengue, which is still quite prevalent in India. Recently, a spurt of dengue positive cases a five-fold increase was noted in Nagpur. While the other South East Asian countries such as Singapore and Malaysia have launched well-coordinated programmes to prevent dengue, we are lacking behind in this area. Now with Ebola knocking on our doors, it is high time that we devised an effective strategy to deal with communicable diseases of all types. Therefore, the cleanliness drive has arrived at the apt time and presents a great opportunity to get our strategy streamlined.Dengue, for the record, is caused by a virus. It is a vector-borne disease; that is, the virus causing the illness is spread through mosquito bites. Aedes aegypti species of mosquitoes is the culprit here. This species of mosquito can be easily recognised thanks to the white spots all over its body and legs.It is also more active during mornings and late afternoons. It is more in numbers in hot climate or around the monsoon period due to the abundance of standing water, puddles and cesspools. The larval stage of the mosquito develops under the surface of the water.Hence it is recommended that larvicidal techniques are better when the mosquito is still under water, rather than when it is terrestrial or air-borne. This means that sanitizing water-logged areas and keeping the land dry is very important. It is worthwhile remembering that there is neither an antibiotic which can cure dengue, nor any vaccine which can stop it from spreading. This again translates to prevention is better than cure.In November 2014, the Mumbai Municipal Corporation reported a decline in the number of diagnosed dengue cases. Was this due to the effect of Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan which was launched in October 2014? It is too early to say. The Abhiyan needs at least a year or two before any reduction in the incidence of communicable diseases could be attributed to it.It was heartening to note that during the Swachh Bharat Saptah (from September 25 to October 2, 2014), the Abhiyans manifesto recommended the following activities, among others:Involving NGOs and general public through vigorous campaign in print and electronic media Repair, maintenance, cleaning and sanitization of public/community toilets River/talab side waste cleaning Cleaning of toilets in Government buildings/hospitals/schools Removal of debris and garbage from public placesThis, one hopes, is not confined to the Saptah, and will be an ongoing effort by the State, NGOs and the community.Community participation is very important for the success of the programme. The lack of this is evident when we see instances of public spitting and urination. Roadside stalls regularly sell contaminated food and dirty the pavements on which they are set up. Manual scavenging without the use of any safety material is still rampant in parts of the country. All this has to change.No amount of rule-setting is going to help if the change does not come from within us. More than anything, the cultivation of an inner feeling of discipline, civic sense and cleanliness is vitally important if the Abhiyan is to be truly successful, and for the communicable diseases to be prevented.