The journey of Swachh Bharat witnessed a new history being scripted. Crores of citizens came forward to offer voluntary shramdaan in a mega cleanliness drive across the nation. Prime Minister Narendra Modi joined the popular fitness influencer Ankit Baiyanpuriya for the shramdaan. He tweeted, ” as the nation focuses on Swachhata, Ankit Baiyanpuriya and I did the same! Beyond just cleanliness, we blended fitness and well-being also into the mix. It is all about that Swachh and Swasth Bharat vibe!”
Owned and led by the citizens, this mega cleanliness drive has seen participation from all States & UTs, villages and cities. The aggregates indicate the participation of nearly 8.75 crore people participation in over 9 lakh sites. Cleanliness drives were taken up on streets, highways and toll plazas railway tracks & stations, toll plazas, health institutions, anganwadi centres, heritage and tourist locations, residential colonies, water bodies, places of worship, slums, market areas, airports and surrounding areas.
On this day of many firsts, the mega cleanliness drive across the nation got an impetus with sanitation being the great unifier for the nation, transcending Panchayats, Municipalities, districts and State boundaries.
Various organizations came forward with unique activities. Union ministers joined the shramdaan at various sites too. The ‘whole of govt approach’ resulted in smooth facilitation for the shramdaan volunteers at lakhs of sites at the same time. There was a sense of achievement when small groups of dedicated volunteers were able to clean up their chosen sites. The role of Panchayats, urban local bodies & district administration was more of a facilitator. This incredible hour saw people and civil society organizations taking initiatives for garbage collection, transportation, safe disposal etc. Each of the shramdaan site was organized by adopting principles of zero waste and plastic free.
After the Call to Action by the Prime Minister during the 105th Mann Ki Baat, the Mission swiftly created an enabling technology infrastructure, where people could register, identify and select their preferred site for shramdaan. A robust backend infrastructure was also put in place, allowing city officials, civil society organisations, corporate bodies etc., to register. Garbage vulnerable sites were identified and uploaded on portal which helped public to select and join sites of their choice.