G.L Khajuria
Our Prime Minister Narender Modi is the first of the kind who picked up the thread in awakening and sensitizing the public masses to go ahead with mission clean India; (Swachh Bharat Abhiyan) and that is how he messaged the nation from the rampart of red fort on august 14-2014 to enliven the dream of Mahatma Gandhi for cleanliness and sanitation drive. He affirmed that issue is utmostly warranted. As per world bank estimate nearly 40% of Indian children are prone to stunt growth owing to lack of proper cleanliness and sanitation which is calling need for the present day. He is concerned for the public masses and in particular for women and the children and awakened and one to wage a war against filth and open defection.
Accordingly, it echos a clarion call to all and one to make India way off from filth and ill sanitation. and make the nation clean and sway away from age old malpractice of open defecation and filth. Let all masses live in an environment free from dirt which beyond ambiguities is causative of multitude diseases. And focusing ahead for the future India particularly, for the upcoming generations.
According to him, the ill surrounds are invasive and have in the long run adverse impacts on the health and well beings of the masses that is why he had over the years been sloganising the with new names and fames in this behalf and campaigning to obiate from of filth and unplanned sanitation which have as well adverse impact on economic potential. As it is estimated to cost India around 6% of our gross domestic product (GDP). In a way the women’s safety, security and dignity are going to be threatened by practicing open defecation and this vital impact oftenly been an ongoing process through electronic media on various channels for public awareness currently much more awakenly has been exhibited amongst the public masses both in rural and urban areas of our country.
The Prime Minister has had put in all out efforts to put a full-stop for vast community of India for open defecation and to invigorate this mission. He has put his political capital behind the cleanliness and sanitation in a bigger way. The clean india mission (CIM) or the swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) has had caught up rapid momentum and at the existing stage it has completed three years since its inception.
When we glimpse the over all situation, it reveals that this mission has made commendable headway at almost every corner of the country . and if also remains the momentum. It is expected that India would be cleanest country in the world. The only warranting campaign is to further gear up awakening and sanitization amongst the public masses.
The estimates have it that the rural sanitation coverage has gone up to 68% from 39% at its initian. Over 230 million people of the rural areas have stopped open defecation which, defacto , is an enormous achievement. And so around 235000 villages and 193 districts are free (ODF) and successful results have come in Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Kerala, Utter Pradesh and Sikkim.
One of the biggest advantage or achievement of clean india mission (Swachh Bharat Mission) that around 400 villages on the banks of sacred Ganga have become open defecation free (ODF) This ensures sanitation and sanicity of world renowned the holy Ganga.
Globally renowned clean India mission (Swachh Bharat Mission) is a unique program with variable aims and objectives and are quite different from any other sanitation initiative taken by various countries across the globe. The program emphasises to cover 550 million Indian in its ambit waying off open defecation is rural areas beyond all ambiguities. A unique and paerless mission being campaigned by Mr. Narender Modi, exemplifies other nations world wide to follow suit. This ensures and sustains a clean India drive not for our country but across the globe if the mission is fully anticipated in all its spirit on a border spectrum.
(The author is former Deputy Conservator J&K Forest).