Swachh Bharat
Abhiyan – Our Prime Minister announced this campaign on Independence Day, 15th
Aug 2014 and launched it on Gandhi Jayanthi, 2nd Oct 2014. And he
himself wielded broom and swept a parking area in New Delhi. It was historic
moment, if not historic movement.
This campaign
has a budget of INR 62,000 crores, India’s biggest cleanliness drive and
expected to cover 4000 towns over 5 years. Since launch, it has been covered in
media extensively, with noted celebrities, film stars, industrialists taking to
street and cleaning some place or the other and has given good sound bites for
media to print & telecast…
It is one
month since then, and if we look at current state, where do we stand?
- Has the roads/streets become clean now?
- Has people stopped littering public places?
- Has the civic sense improved?
- Can we compare India to cleaner cities abroad?
- Was the efforts made PM & celebrities mere lip service?
- Did these acts not touch the nerve of Indians & improve their self-discipline?
Wish, I
could!! None of this has happened. All around, it looks just the same. I personally,
was ashamed when this campaign was launched, for I had to accept that it
requires 62000 crores of public money to clean this country. And the head of
country (Prime Minister) had to wield a broom to show us our state of affairs.
Seriously,
why is this not working out?
Let us face
the truth. Indians by and large do not want discipline themselves. They are
happy to litter on the road, spit anywhere & everywhere, break rules and
are happy being this way. Will a campaign by PM change them? They will happily
watch PM & scores of celebrities doing these work, appreciate them and will
continue their act of littering…
I see the
same roads, railway stations that were cleaned so diligently when the campaign
was launched, now looking just the same, as if it were never cleaned in first
place.
By the way,
who does these littering on roads/streets? Is it the rich, well to do or the
middle class or people in lower strata of economy? It is important that every
individual across these socio-economic divide feels the same towards the
campaign for it to be successful.
The well to
do is using this for photo ops and giving sound bites. But, truth be told, it
is not these people who litter the road, for they hardly walk on road. (Of
course, there are exceptions to rule here)
Middle class
are more self-disciplined and seldom litter. And if someone tell them not to
do, they will happily oblige. It is these people who when go abroad, are happy
to follow rules and feel bad to see the state of our roads on return…
But, people
in lower strata of economy are a big concern. It is these, who you will find,
invariably spitting on road, throwing trash as they walk and are comfortable to
live among filth. (Sorry, I am a bit harsh here, but I do not see this being
far from truth).
Question is,
how do you bring change in them to ensure this cleanliness campaign is success?
A little bit
of education, better garbage management, more involvement from people (not
photo ops & sound bites), and sustained campaign are required, if we want a
clean India, if not green India.
Jai Hind!!
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