Service For Swachhata: 

Service For Swachhata: 

Context:

• Started on 15th August, 2014, It has been three years of the Swachh Bharat Mission.
• The Prime Minister, Narendra Modi called for an accelerated, nation-wide campaign termed Swachhata Hi Seva, from September 15 to October 2.

What is the progress of Swachh Bharat Mission in three years?

• Rural sanitation coverage has increased from 39 per cent to 70 per cent.
• As many as 250 million people, almost equal to the population of Indonesia, have stopped defecating in the open since the SBM began.
• Usage of the toilets built is over 90 per cent, according to a survey by the Quality Council of India.
• Good progress is also being made in urban areas.

What is Swachhata Hi Seva?

• The Prime Minister calls for Swachhata Hi Seva on September 15th, 2017.
• People have come together and cleaned public places like bus stands, railway stations, parks, monuments and places of historical and cultural importance.
• People also helped to construct twin-pit toilets for those who were unable to do so themselves.
• The Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation, along with the Indian Railways, also did its bit by participating in a cleanliness drive at the Railway Stations.
• Perhaps the most inspirational contribution to the Swachhata Hi Seva movement came from the officers and jawans of the Indian Army at the Siachen glacier, who carried out a cleanliness drive at the world’s highest battleground.

What is the significant effect of the mission?

• The Swachhata Hi Seva campaign has re-invigorated the spirit of cleanliness in everyone’s heart.
• It has already succeeded in making SBM a true jan andolan.