Clean India, Strong India

On Gandhi Jayanti, we recall Mahatma Gandhi’s timeless conviction: “Sanitation is more important than independence.” It was not a metaphor, but a call to action. It signalled that dignity, health, and discipline must form the bedrock of national progress.

It has been 11 years since the launch of the Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM). India has made sanitation a people’s movement, jan andolan. What began with the vision of making India Open Defecation Free, as envisioned by our Hon’ble Prime Minister, has now evolved into a culture of cleanliness, hygiene, and community ownership, reaffirming the belief in “Swabhav Swachhata, Sanskar Swachhata”.

The impact of the Swachh Bharat Mission is well known and has been studied by various reputable organisations; the assets created under this program also tell their own story. Under SBM-Grameen, over 11.5 crore toilets have been constructed, and today, more than 4.7 lakh villages have declared themselves as ODF Plus Model — they are equipped with solid and liquid waste management systems and are visually clean. The true impact lies not in these statistics alone, but in the lived experiences of families living in rural areas. This includes places where women who no longer need to walk long distances to relieve themselves, and healthier children; cleaner water bodies where wastewater and plastics are better managed and witnessing panchayats and women’s groups taking local leadership in waste management.

The SBM-G program has evolved from infrastructure to behaviour, from construction to long-term culture. The journey from ODF to ODF Plus model has not been about ticking boxes, but about ensuring that households, schools, anganwadi centres, and public spaces reflect the success of the rural water and sanitation missions.

Swachhotsav: Cleanliness as Sanskaar

Swachhata Hi Seva (SHS), the annual SBM campaign, with this year’s theme - Swachhotsav, reminds us that festivals, fairs, and gatherings are not just about celebrations; they are also opportunities to practice responsibility and reiterate the thought of sanskaar in swachhata. This year, through the course of the campaign, it has been heartening to witness communities adopting once more cleanliness as part of their culture, not as an afterthought. Celebrating festivals responsibly with appropriate waste segregation systems and reduced usage of single-use plastic and adoption of eco-friendly sanitation facilities through the course of SHS has been a true Swachhotsav, where we are not just celebrating, we are institutionalising practices, making these practices become a habit, which in time becomes heritage.

Sanitation and India’s Growth Story

As India positions itself as a key player in the global economy, sanitation and hygiene are not peripheral pieces; they are central cornerstones. Tourists and investors judge India not only by airports, malls and business centres, but also by the cleanliness of its towns, ghats, villages, and public spaces.

A clean temple precinct, a litter-free beach, or a heritage site with safe sanitation facilities makes visitors stay longer, enjoy more, and return. Swachhata is thus not only about pride, it is about revenue and livelihoods for local communities.

For investors, the availability of clean water, waste management systems, and hygienic living conditions for workers is a basic prerequisite. Sanitation is not only a social policy but also an economic infrastructure.

Fewer sick days, healthier children, and reduced disease burden free up family incomes and improve workforce productivity. This, in turn, feeds directly into India’s economic momentum. A clean nation is a nation that is investible and attractive to the world.

At the heart of this mission is Jan Bhagidari, as SBM has always been a movement powered by people. In villages, Village Water and Sanitation Committees (VWSCs) and Gram Panchayats must continue to be institutional anchors of this effort as they ensure every household voice is represented in decisions around rural WASH that will focus on making services responsive, accountable, and sustainable.

The next chapter of SBM will continue to deepen the partnership with Panchayats, VWSCs, women’s collectives, and youth clubs. The SBM journey is not just about sustaining toilets or drains; it is about unlocking economic opportunities through sanitation. Panchayats near heritage and spiritual sites should be supported to maintain good sanitation facilities, ensuring that India’s cultural wealth is matched by civic pride.

Waste-to-wealth initiatives should be promoted and marketed to create jobs, income streams, and green enterprises. With clean surroundings, safe water, and reliable waste management, rural areas are attractive destinations for agro-processing, handicrafts, and local enterprises.

The focus for the mission must continue to be on leveraging technology, creating both efficiency and employment and on addressing the dignity and welfare of our sanitation workers/safai mitras. The focus must be on implementing more campaigns to promote mechanised waste handling, enhancing access of sanitation workers to social security schemes and insurance, and providing education support for their families. A clean India must also be a just India that protects those who protect our hygiene.

As we celebrate Gandhi Jayanti and mark eleven years of the Swachh Bharat Mission, the vision is clear of making all villages Swachh Sujal Gaon that integrate sanitation with water security and making sanitation move beyond dignity and health, to also about growth and opportunity.

We must remember that Swachhata is the first impression of Bharat to the world, and it has the power to strengthen tourism, enable business, protect families, and build pride in our nation. This mission has stood for credible, lived outcomes for 11 years. That is how we honour Bapu’s vision, and that is how we build the India of tomorrow.

Views expressed are personal. The writer is the Minister of State, Ministry of Jal Shakti