New Delhi, September 13, 2024: The Ministry of Jal Shakti and the Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs (MoHUA) launched the Swachhata Hi Seva (SHS) 2024 campaign today at Sushma Swaraj Bhawan with a curtain raiser event. This marks a significant milestone as the Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) prepares to celebrate its tenth anniversary.

The theme for SHS 2024, ‘Swabhav Swachhata, Sanskar Swachhata,’ aims to reignite the spirit of collective action and citizen participation for cleanliness across India, focusing on three key pillars under the ‘whole of society approach’:

• Cleanliness Target Units (CTUs) – Shramdaan activities aimed at the time-bound transformation of target units and general cleanliness.
• Swachhata Mein Jan Bhagidari – Promoting public participation, awareness, and advocacy.
• Safai Mitra Suraksha Shivirs – Conducting preventive health checkups and providing social security coverage for sanitation workers.

Key Highlights from the Launch Event:

The event was graced by the Hon’ble Union Minister for Housing & Urban Affairs and Power, Shri Manohar Lal; Hon’ble Union Minister of Jal Shakti, Shri C R Patil; State Ministers, Secretaries, and Mission Directors. It featured a press interaction followed by the curtain raiser.

Shri Manohar Lal opened the event by reflecting on the Swachh Bharat Mission, which was initiated under the leadership of Hon’ble Prime Minister in 2014. He emphasized that as waste generation is a manmade issue, it is our collective responsibility to manage and clean it. He highlighted the achievements under the mission, such as 73% of garbage now being processed and waste collection reaching 97% across 4,000 cities; and 427 garbage sites have been cleaned since 2021. Shri Manohar Lal also called on the media to actively participate in promoting SHS rather by advocating for adoption on Cleanliness Target Units (CTU) which more than 1 lakh identified CTU’s on the portal. He urged them to motivate communities to engage in cleanliness initiatives.

Union Minister C R Patil acknowledged the immense contributions of Mahatma Gandhi and the Prime Minister in making sanitation a national priority. He emphasized that Prime Minister Modi's personal involvement and leadership have significantly enhanced the impact and resource allocation for sanitation efforts. He highlighted that government has allocated a budgetary outlay of INR 1.40 lakh crore for the period 2020-2025 as compared to over INR 1 lakh crore made during the first 5 years of Swachh Bharat Mission. As on date, there are around 2.92 lakh ODF Plus Model villages which is more than 50% of India’s rural villages, including over 5.53 lakh ODF Plus villages, more than 3.5 lakh Waste Collection and Segregation Sheds, and over 11.6 crore toilets built to date.

Additional Highlights:

• Mega Cleanliness Drives: Large-scale clean-up activities across rural and urban areas, focusing on challenging garbage spots identified as CTUs, with extensive participation from citizens and partners.
• Safai Mitra Suraksha Shivirs: Camps supporting sanitation workers through health check-ups, safety gear distribution, and access to social welfare schemes.
• Cultural Fests and Swachh Food Streets: Community engagement through cultural events, artistic ‘Waste to Art’ installations, and clean food streets that embody the campaign’s values.
• Public Participation and Advocacy: Mobilizing citizens through rallies, marathons, and community discussions to deepen ownership and responsibility for cleanliness.

The event also featured an address by the Secretary of SBM-G and MoHUA, Additional Secretary, MoRD, and Secretary MoPR. Secretary DDWS highlighted the progress made and the path forward for SHS, with a focus on people, jan bhagidaari (public participation), and jan samriddhi (public prosperity).  Secretary MoHUA shared the campaign highlights.

A significant highlight of the event was the participation of the Hon’ble State and an online interaction with state dignitaries

The event concluded with a Swachhata Pledge, reaffirming the nation’s commitment to cleanliness, followed by the National Anthem.

Join the Movement:

For more information, visit the official Swachhata Hi Seva 2024 portal at https://swachhatahiseva.gov.in.

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Saurabh Singh

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