Clean India
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| Clean India |
"One step towards cleanliness". This is the slogan of one Indian government's most ambitious programmes - Swachh Bharat Abhiyan or Clean India Mission. It aims at cleaning the roads and infrastructure of the country. The most crucial aspect of this campaign is construction of toilets in rural areas. The government hopes to completely eliminate open defecation by 2019. This ambitious programme has received funds from a variety of sources like the World Bank, corporate social responsibility initiatives, state governments etc. Several celebrities including Sachin Tendulkar, Mridula Sinha, Shashi Tharoor have been selected to propagate this campaign. Inspite of the efforts of the government, the success of the programme lies in involving people and making them aware of the need to maintain hygiene. It is a monumental task as most of the people have wallowed in poverty and illiteracy for scores of years. People to people contact and media blitzkrieg will drive away the ghost of ignorance. It is the responsibility of each individual to make the vision of Mahatma Gandhi come true. He believed that cleanliness is next to godliness. A clean Indian will help nature healthy citizens who will work enthusiastically for the development of the country. Clean surroundings will help our countrymen become healthy and strong. We can contribute in a small way by ensuring proper disposal of litter that is, into bin and nowhere else. Indians often crib that developed countries are so clean and India's cities and villages are dirty. What we do not realise is that we have dirtied our country. This lack of civic sense has to be checked. Each person must pledge to keep his or her surroundings clean. This can be done by making sure that all waste is disposed off in the proper manner. The municipal authorities too must take steps to segregate garbage and recycle waste so that minimal damage is caused to the environment.