Clean India Green India

Clean India Green India is a step towards a better tomorrow. Cleanliness and hygiene have always been an integral part of Indian culture. From the ancient Indus Valley Civilization to modern-day India, sanitation has played a vital role in the country's progress. However, with the rapid growth of urbanization, industrialization, and population, cleanliness, and hygiene have become significant concerns. The increasing pollution, waste generation, and lack of proper disposal facilities have not only degraded the environment but also posed a severe threat to public health.

In 2014, the Indian government launched the "Swachh Bharat Abhiyan"  or the "Clean India Mission" to address these issues and create a cleaner and healthier India. The campaign aims to achieve the goal of a "Clean India" by October 2, 2019, to coincide with the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, who was a strong advocate of cleanliness and sanitation.

The Clean India Mission focuses on three main aspects - Swachh Bharat Abhiyan for Urban areas, Swachh Bharat Abhiyan for Rural areas, and Swachh Bharat Abhiyan for schools. The mission aims to promote cleanliness and hygiene practices, create awareness among people about the benefits of sanitation, and provide sanitation facilities to every household and community.

One of the primary objectives of the mission is to eliminate open defecation and promote the construction of toilets in households, schools, and public places. The mission has constructed more than 10 crore toilets across the country, which has not only improved sanitation but also reduced the spread of diseases like diarrhea, cholera, and typhoid.

The mission has also focused on solid waste management and has encouraged people to segregate and dispose of waste properly. The mission has set up waste processing and treatment plants to convert waste into compost, biofuels, and other useful products. This has not only reduced the amount of waste going to landfills but also created employment opportunities for people in the waste
management sector.

The mission has also focused on creating awareness about cleanliness and hygiene practices among people through various campaigns and initiatives. The government has launched the "Swachh Survekshan"  or cleanliness survey to rank cities based on their cleanliness and sanitation. This has not only created healthy competition among cities but also encouraged them to improve their cleanliness standards.

In addition to the government's efforts, several non-governmental organizations, community groups, and individuals have also contributed to the mission's success. People have volunteered to clean their neighborhoods, schools, and public places, and have also created awareness among others about the benefits of cleanliness.

Clean India Green India is not just a slogan but a call to action. It requires a collective effort from everyone to create a cleaner and greener India. The benefits of a clean and hygienic environment are numerous, including improved public health, reduced pollution, and a better quality of life. By supporting the Clean India Mission, we can contribute to a better tomorrow for ourselves and future generations.

Cleanliness is very important whether it is our home, workplace, or public places. It is one of the very basic needs of a civilized lifestyle. Clean India and Green India are the two sides of one coin, i.e., sustainable development in India. Clean India or Swachh Bharat Abhiyan (SBA) was the dream of the father of the nation.

Mahatma Gandhi was mindful of the poor position of Indian rural people at that time and he dreamed of a cleaner India, where he emphasized cleanliness and sanitation as an intact function of survival. In June 2014, the then President of India Pranab Mukherjee in his address to Parliament said, “For ensuring hygiene, waste management and sanitation across the nation a “Swachh Bharat Mission” will be established. This will be our tribute to Mahatma Gandhi on his 150th birth anniversary to be celebrated in the year 2019”. Recently, the Narendra Modi Government is trying to establish the “Swachh Bharat Mission”. Green India mission is a National Mission under eight Missions of the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC), which recognizes that climate change phenomena will seriously affect and alter the distribution, type, and quality of natural biological resources of the country and the associated livelihoods of the people. Lying close to the models of sustainable Development, this paper is an attempt to magnify Green and Clean India as a model of Sustainable Development.

Swachh Bharat Abhiyan set a lot of objectives to achieve so that India could become cleaner and better; and is an appeal to all the citizens of the country to contribute their best for making it possible through awareness programs. After that, a major objective is to teach citizens to dispose of waste mindfully. In short Swachh Bharat Abhiyan is a great start to making India cleaner and greener. If all citizens could come together and participate in this drive, India will soon flourish. Moreover, when the hygienic conditions of India will improve, all of your will benefit equally. India will have more tourists visiting every year and will create a happy and clean environment for the citizens.

By: Kritin Dixit
Class: 9
School: SKD Academy School, UP