“Swachh Bharat Abhiyan – Leading to Healthier Life and Prosperity”

Swachh Bharat Abhiyan – Leading to Healthier Life and Prosperity

Gandhiji had stated that, “Sanitation is more important than independence.” Cleanliness and sanitation were an integral part of the Gandhian way of living. His mission was sanitation for all. After several decades – Shri Narendra Modi, present Prime Minister of India has taken up the same initiative of promoting the concept of cleanliness to his fellow citizens.

India needs to benchmark ideal cities like Chennai and Surat. Surat used to be a soiled city and during the early 90s the city was attacked by plague. Using the 1994 plague panic as a launch board, two IAS officers, S.R. Rao and S. Jagadeesan, who served as Surat’s Municipal Commissioners during the 90s, transformed Surat from being one of the dirtiest cities in India into one of the best cities. In Chennai, the municipal authorities did not give water connection to the buildings that were not equipped with measures for rain water harvesting With rapid urbanization and growing population the urban areas are becoming more and more dirty and the basic civic sense of keeping the locales clean is missing. The very basic amenities like toilets are either not available or even if they exist at some locations they are in such unsanitary conditions that people do not use the public toilets. The situation is rural areas are even more pitiful as the concept of closed toilets do not exist. Over the years our holy rivers Ganga, Yamuna, etc., rivers are so polluted that the water is not usable...................

Swachh Bharat Abhiyan – Leading to Healthier Life and Prosperity

Synopsis

On October 2^nd 2014, Prime Minister Narendra Modi initiated the national campaign Swachh Bharat Abhiyan by picking up a broom and cleaning a pavement at Valmiki Basti, a sanitation workers colony at Rajpath, New Delhi. The Swachh Bharat Abhiyan was launched with eight core objectives. The principal objective was to ensure a healthy life for Indian citizens and to improve India’s semblance globally. Swachh Bharat Abhiyan was Modi’s initiative to ensure access to clean toilets and safe and adequate drinking water supply are supplied to every citizen of India. This was also to ensure that proper solid and waste management disposal systems are developed and clean villages are developed. Gramin Swachh Bharat Abhiyan has a target of 11 crore household latrines in villages by 2019. The central agency for this work is the Drinking Water and Sanitary Ministry. Urban Swachh Bharat Abhiyan has a target to build 1 crore household toilets, 2.5 lakh seats of community toilets, 2.6 lakh public toilets and solid waste management. The central agency for this work is the Urban Development and Housing Ministry. Under the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Plans, PSUs under power, coal and renewable energy ministries are to build 50,000 toilets in schools by August 2015. The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) is to help to build 10,000 toilets in schools by 2016 at the cost of INR200 crore to INR500 crore using funds from private companies. The estimated cost of Swachh Bharat Abhiyan is INR1.96 lakh crore. Swachh Bharat Abhiyan has to achieve its ultimate goal by 2019, the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, to ensure a clean and green India (every city and village). Swachh Bharat Abhiyan sounds very good but the main challenge is in implementation. This case enables a classroom discussion on challenges in implementation of this big social issue and come out various options and  opportunities available in solving this social issue.

Expected Learning Outcomes

• Study social awareness of Swachh Bharat Abhiyan
• Study the challenges and strategies in implementation of Swachh Bharat Abhiyan

Case Positioning and Setting

This case can be used for MBA/PGDM/MFM/MCA in the Second Semester to discuss the module – Corporate Social Responsibility

Research Method

Secondary data collated from information on the internet and other published sources

Suggested Teaching Approaches

The class should be divided into four groups. Each group presents their own views. This discussion need to summarized and concluded by students with the help of a faculty acting as a facilitator and moderator. More groups may be formed depending on the class strength.

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