Union Minister for Jal Shakti, Government of India
THE SWACHH BHARAT Mission is much more than a Government programme, or a sanitation programme. Over the past five years, India has seen a social revolution – a movement, of the people, by the people and for the people. The people of India rallied behind the clarion call of their Prime Minister, and collectively changed habits that they had held on to for centuries. This has transformed the sanitation narrative in India and has the potential of doing so throughout the world. It is a fascinating story that must be told.
Several ancient Indian scriptures talk about the importance of sanitation and cleanliness for a healthy body and mind. In fact, the first advanced networked sanitation systems in the world were developed in the Indus valley civilization. Over the years, our focus on sanitation had dwindled, until the day Prime Minister Modi put sanitation back fairly and squarely on the national agenda. And, as they say, the rest is history. From a sanitation coverage base of just 39 per cent in 2014, India is now on the verge of becoming open defecation free. And this transformation has had a significant impact on the lives of our people, especially our mothers, sisters and daughters.
While India has achieved tremendous results on swachhata, we must not and will not rest on our laurels. Sustaining the gains we have achieved will remain a key priority of the Government. And going forward, in the next phase of the Swachh Bharat Mission, we will strive to achieve 100 per cent solid and liquid waste management. Along with this very important goal, we are working towards ensuring piped water supply for all households in India by adopting a similar approach as we did in the Swachh Bharat Mission: making it a jan andolan, a people’s movement.
The Swachh Bharat Mission has been an embodiment of the collective spirit of a nation, showing that with a strong and committed political leadership, public financing, partnerships and most importantly people’s participation in the developmental process, no goal is too difficult to achieve. It has set forth a framework for other large-scale social transformation initiatives in India and the world. This book attempts to capture this fascinating story through the lens of many of its architects.
I hope this inspires readers around the world to attempt to bring about change for the better in their communities and gives them a glimpse into one of the largest behaviour change campaigns in the world.
Jai Hind.