How to keep india clean?

Question

Harij Nagarajan · Answer

Historically, we as a culture have always invested heavily both in personal and public hygiene. Even today, most women will not enter the kitchen without a morning bath. No one enters a temple without a shower. No yogic practice is performed without cleansing the body first.

Taking care of the internal and external cleanliness of the body has remained with us. However, the awareness that we need to keep our public places clean has taken a beating. This has happened because Bharat - the greatest economy on the planet 25 decades ago - decimated itself under the expert care of colonial guile. Industries were destroyed. Taxation was backbreaking. This slowly took us to a place where no one had the means, energy or resource to maintain public hygiene and sanitation.

Unfortunately, even after independence, governments have not taken enough care to organize cleanliness in the public space. This is not a complaint. Maybe we had other things to do. But today, we know that lack of public hygiene is costing the nation dearly.

Malnourishment and lack of public hygiene generally complement each other. Repeated bouts of bacterial and parasitical infection in the digestive tract take away the ability to absorb nutrients. This has happened to millions of children in the country.

The lack of toilets is also a major issue for women. With the population growth in the last few decades, a woman has no private space left outside. So the government's initiative to build millions of toilets across the country in the last four years is much needed. But while most of India now has access to a toilet, there are still various cultural and logistics issues that the government is trying to address.

It has to be understood that in this country, nothing changes just by changing policies. It takes an emotional movement, which is what I believe Prime Minister Narendra Modi is doing with the Swachh Bharat movement. The process of wanting to clean India is not an overnight job. At the same time, if we can inspire all citizens, it would happen much more quickly.

When the Prime Minister announced Swachh Bharat on Independence Day a few years ago, a certain section of society was making comments, "Why is the Prime Minister talking about pedestrian issues when there are larger issues to be addressed?"

These people do not realize that a large mass of India is pedestrian. Addressing pedestrian issues is of national interest. Without creating a clean nation, developing a nation into a great possibility will be out of question because the infections we carry within us will not allow us to become full-fledged human beings.

Besides the individual's role, today, there are many technologies evolving in the world to transform filth into wealth. There is no such thing as waste. It is just a question of whether we know how to use something or not. The time has come when we have to learn to transform everything and use it for our well-being. What was earth, we made into filth. We must at least be able to transform it back to earth.

There is substantial knowledge - both traditional and new - on how to do this. We must make the transforming of filth into wealth a part of our national ethos. Every city, municipality and village panchayat must take it up.

For example, a city like Mumbai generates 2.1 billion litres of sewage per day. Most of it goes to the sea. But if this is treated and used in micro-irrigation, it can water thousands of hectares of agriculture. If you add up sewage from 200 Indian cities and towns, it comes to 36 billion litres which can micro-irrigate 3 to 9 million hectares. Whether it is river pollution, plastic waste or domestic waste, if you show people that what they think is filth can become wealth, you will not find any filth anywhere.

Swachh Bharat is not just the Prime Minister's movement. It is a crucial step for India to move ahead and truly prosper. Our jawans are standing at our borders, risking their lives every day. Our farmers work hard to feed the nation. Our industrial workers are sweating it out to give us a foothold in the world. One simple way through which we can show our love for our country is by creating Swachh Bharat.

I'm sure if all of us are determined, we can turn this into a clean nation in twelve months' time. Let us take this commitment that before Mahatma's Jayanti in 2019, we will create a clean India on every level - on the streets, at home, in rooting out corruption, and in our own minds and hearts.

Remember, this is a culture that built consciousness of cleanliness through public drainage systems before any other.

Let us make it happen.

Jagadish Info · Answer

“A clean India would be the best tribute India could pay to Mahatma Gandhi on his 150 birth anniversary in 2019,” said Shri Narendra Modi as he launched the Swachh Bharat Mission at Rajpath in New Delhi. On 2nd October 2014, Swachh Bharat Mission was launched throughout length and breadth of the country as a national movement. The campaign aims to achieve the vision of a ‘Clean India’ by 2nd October 2019.

VIDEO: PM’s speech at the launch of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HmtxA_iXvbY

The Swachh Bharat Abhiyan is the most significant cleanliness campaign by the Government of India. Shri Narendra Modi led a cleanliness pledge at India Gate, which about thirty lakh government employees across the country joined. He also flagged off a walkathon at Rajpath and surprised people by joining in not just for a token few steps, but marching with the participants for a long way.

While leading the mass movement for cleanliness, the Prime Minister exhorted people to fulfil Mahatma Gandhi’s dream of a clean and hygienic India. Shri Narendra Modi himself initiated the cleanliness drive at Mandir Marg Police Station. Picking up the broom to clean the dirt, making Swachh Bharat Abhiyan a mass movement across the nation, the Prime Minister said people should neither litter, nor let others litter. He gave the mantra of ‘Na gandagi karenge, Na karne denge.’ Shri Narendra Modi also invited nine people to join the cleanliness drive and requested each of them to draw nine more into the initiative.

By inviting people to participate in the drive, the Swachhta Abhiyan has turned into a National Movement. A sense of responsibility has been evoked among the people through the Clean India Movement. With citizens now becoming active participants in cleanliness activities across the nation, the dream of a ‘Clean India’ once seen by Mahatma Gandhi has begun to get a shape.

The Prime Minister has helped spread the message of Swachh Bharat by urging people through his words & action. He carried out a cleanliness drive in Varanasi as well. He wielded a spade near River Ganga at Assi Ghat in Varanasi under the Clean India Mission. He was joined by a large group of local people who cooperated in the Swachhta Abhiyan. Understanding the significance of sanitation, Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has simultaneously addressed the health problems that roughly half of the Indians families have to deal with due to lack of proper toilets in their homes.

People from different sections of the society have come forward and joined this mass movement of cleanliness. From government officials to jawans, bollywood actors to the sportspersons, industrialists to spiritual leaders, all have lined up for the noble work. Millions of people across the country have been day after day joining the cleanliness initiatives of the government departments, NGOs and local community centres to make India clean. Organising frequent cleanliness campaigns to spreading awareness about hygiene through plays and music is also being widely carried out across the nation.

Puneet Dhaiber · Answer

A calculated guess would have been that with the government’s “Nirmal Bharat” initiative in action (predecessor of Swachh Bharat), rapidly developing technology, increasing literacy rate, widespread awareness about cleanliness and personal hygiene, we’d become a clean nation after all in a decade.

But here we are in 2021, still far, far away from realising that dream.

So what’s the current state of this “Swachhta” in India?

It is 2021 and yet, we haven’t stopped littering. The water in our rivers is toxic and the air that we breathe is heavily polluted. India now ranks 3rd on the list of the most polluted counties in the world!

Have we, the citizens of India, accepted this embarrassment as our reality?Or do we want to take the onus of bringing a change?We hold all the power to do so. Then why is it so difficult?

It’s difficult because it requires us to change ourselves. But with one small and smart step at a time, you, me and us can do this together.

And in this blog, we’ll show you how. So keep reading to find out what you can do to keep your country shining, clean, and green!Let’s dive in right away!

Single-use plastic is a concerning issue! It pollutes land and the sea alike! In most bazaars and markets, the shopkeepers hand you your purchased goods in low-quality single-use polythene bags that you use once and throw right away.

Say NO to those bags!

Invest in a good cotton or khaki bag. Always keep it handy and carry it around, particularly for shopping! A small step like this can take us in the right direction!

Due to industrialization, we rarely ever get to see greenery around us. Green living areas are essential in our cities and suburbs for our health and to maintain cleanliness. Trees are our primary source of pure oxygen. Yet, they continue to be decimated by industrialization and suburban sprawl. They actively contribute to the protection of our climate by cleansing our air. So we must take small measures and plant as many trees as we can. Various NGOs organize sapling plantation drives/ tree plantations, which could be a new hobby that we all can take up to better the environment.

Not only would that create a healthy environment, but it would also enhance the aesthetics of the space!

It is high time that we all start separating our wastes and implement proper waste management techniques at home! Get separate plastic dustbins for your dry, wet and recyclable waste!

Plastic Dustbins ensure appropriate disposal of all kinds of garbage. If you separate your waste beforehand, the waste management process becomes much easier at later stages!

You can also try composting at home with your kitchen waste which is the best way of recycling kitchen waste.

Here is a short and straightforward guide on composting that you can refer to!

You can use the compost as manure for your plants. It can help your home garden flourish while taking care of the waste.

You may have heard about cleanup drives or other eco-friendly activities taking place in your city. Be an active member of such communities by engaging in organizing and executing these drives. It is a great way to show your responsibility towards society.

Use social media to spread awareness about environmental issues and engage more people in these causes. We must use all the tools to be mindful and do good in society as responsible citizens!

Beach cleanups, roadside clean-up drives, tree planting drives are all activities that can be done with your friends and family, which will eventually cleanse and detox the environment along with some fun quality time with your loved ones!

The biggest problem with our country is hands down, littering. Let’s begin by reiterating the simplest way to ensure cleanliness: keep the trash only where it belongs. Do not throw trash on the road or in public areas. Carry your waste with you until you find a proper disposal method.

In public spaces, you will always find plastic dustbins at every nook and corner. These bins ensure that the trash is appropriately collected-Friendly and ensure utmost hygiene with an outer lid that prevents odor and insects. These bins are also highly durable and weather-resistant.

Purchase a reusable water bottle. Investing in a reusable water bottle would not only minimize the use of single-use plastic, but it will also save you money in the long run! Consider using a water filter if you’re worried about the consistency of your drinking water.

Bring a reusable cup with you!. Consider how many disposable cups are used each day in your neighborhood coffee shop. Bringing a mug for your morning coffee will help you generate less waste per year. Consider how much waste we could save if we all made this easy adjustment regularly!

Switch to metal straws! Plastic straws constitute a large percentage of litter on the roads and the ocean. Use reusable metal straws to take a little step towards a cleaner environment! Bamboo toothbrushes are also a good idea!

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While buying furniture, people immediately gravitate towards wooden furniture. It sounds like the most eco-friendly option, right?

WRONG!

The amount of trees that need to be cut to create one table is alarmingly high. Such a rate of deforestation causes much irreversible damage to the environment.

On the other hand, plastic furniture is wrongly infamous for being bad for the environment.

Check out this real-life experience of a customer about the durability of Italica Chairs:

Let us bust that myth for you today!

Today’s plastic furniture is almost 100 percent recyclable! Not only that, they are much more durable and can last you for decades without losing their charm or color, post which you can upcycle them or recycle them!

Let us take an example of this plastic table by Italica furniture! You can use this plastic table for your living space or bedroom. You can also use it during your evening coffee time while sipping on your heavenly beverage!

Sven Darrell · Answer