In Continuation from my previous post related to this topic: Clean India – Modi’s Drive
Much of fanfare, many Facebook posts, many Whatsapp forwards, many tweets and the end result achieved – a Hype created on the Clean India Drive or Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan. So where do we go from here and what would be the net result achieved from this? Do we really get to see a Clean India? I would be highly skeptical for the end results unless we see a good motivation for the Government Officials to actually adhere to this and make cleanliness a way of life.
Yes, Cleanliness needs to be embedded into our way of life. Enough initiatives have been taken and enough steps have been taken to try and create a Clean and Green India, but every time we land up in the same soup of dirt and waste. This time the Prime Minister has come forward and has shown a commitment towards clean India, but then would this be just a Drive initiated and long forgotten, I presume NO. The Prime Minister must review the progress of the initiative that too on a monthly basis.
There are states that have already taken positive steps towards cleanliness and to top them is Maharashtra seconded by Rajasthan. Prime Minister should take a leaf from the steps taken by these two states and take a step to mandate certain action points that may be –
- Any Panchayat Candidate / Representative must have a WC at home
- All Corporator must ensure to have a Sulabh Shochalaya in their wards
- All MLAs and MPs must be responsible to ensure that part of their Development Funds is used to ensure that there is a Waste Disposal Unit in their Constituency
- All MLAs and MPs along with Corporators and Panchayat representatives must ensure that every household in their areas get substantial amount of Drinking Water
- Collectors and Commissioners must be provided with budgets to ensure that they are able to manage and maintain Sanitation Facilities
- Performance Bonus must have a line-item to stress on the responsibility to maintain sanitation standards
- Chewing of Tobacco and Use of Any tobacco product must be banned at all Government and Private offices – these create one of the biggest nuance with custom designs and colors on the Office Walls
- Specific Smoking Stations must be created for smokers and smoking in 20 – 25 feet perimeter of any building / enclosure / shade must be banned.
- Littering at Public place must invite a fine of minimum Rs. 1000 or Public Service for minimum 7 days. Repeat Offenders be sentenced to minimum 1 month of rigorous imprisonment
- If Enterprises would want to sponsor certain steps in public and private venture, they must be encouraged and tax soaps may be considered for participating organizations
- Railway Ministry may consider phase-wise updgradation on toilets in the Passenger trains. The rail coach factories may upgrade the toilets to bio-degradable toilets and thus reducing the waste that is seen around on the railway tracks across the country.
May be there are lot more measures that can be considered and implemented. However, a few basic steps to review the progress and a few additional steps as suggested above may result in lot more achievement than expected. But certainly, nothing can be achieved without setting up a monitoring and review mechanism and active participation from each one of us.
