New Delhi: President Murmu congratulated Banega Swasth India campaign for entering into its tenth year as one of India’s longest-running public health campaigns. Lauding the efforts of the campaign, President Murmu said, “Banega Swasth India has reached out to thousands of women and children with its several programmes related to hygiene and nutrition. Such initiatives will help achieve their overall well-being and spread the message of One World Hygiene”.
Paying homage to Mahatma Gandhi on his 154th birth anniversary, President Murmu highlighted his teachings on the importance of cleanliness.
There are several lessons for personal, social and spiritual improvements we have incorporated from the life and teachings of Mahatma Gandhi. But he also laid emphasis on the significance of maintaining Swachhta (cleanliness). Gandhiji said that Swaraj cannot be meaningful in the absence of cleanliness.
Mahatma Gandhi considered Swachhta as an integral part of mental and physical well-being, President Murmu added.
‘Cleanliness is next to godliness’, a wise saying that refers to the importance of cleanliness in a person’s life, was often quoted by Mahatma Gandhi, she said.
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President Murmu highlighted the importance of maintaining personal hygiene by narrating one of the incidents from Mahatma Gandhi’s life,
Mahatma Gandhi had once requested Kasturba Gandhi to open a school for the children of farmers. When asked what lessons will be taught to children, Gandhiji said that the first lesson of education is cleanliness. He said that schools must teach children about the ways of maintaining personal hygiene to prevent the spread of illness.
It is important to inculcate the values of cleanliness in children, the President added.
President Murmu further said that the media is equally important in raising public awareness about health and hygiene. She urged the media organisations to publicise states and cities that have set an example for cleanliness and health, such as Indore, that recently bagged the top spot for the ‘Best Smart City’ in the India Smart Cities Conclave 2023. She added,
Such examples will increase public awareness.
Highlighting the central government’s efforts towards the vision of Swasth Bharat, Swachh Bharat, President Murmu listed down various programmes and schemes such as Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM), Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, or Clean India Mission. She said that these programmes have evolved into a mass movement (Jan Andolan) as a result of people’s unwavering commitment towards sanitation and cleanliness.
NDTV – Dettol have been working towards a clean and healthy India since 2014 via the Banega Swachh India initiative, which is helmed by Campaign Ambassador Amitabh Bachchan. The campaign aims to highlight the inter-dependency of humans and the environment, and of humans on one another with the focus on One Health, One Planet, One Future – Leaving No One Behind. It stresses on the need to take care of, and consider, everyone’s health in India – especially vulnerable communities – theLGBTQ population,indigenous people, India’s different tribes, ethnic and linguistic minorities, people with disabilities, migrants, geographically remote populations, gender and sexual minorities. In wake of the currentCOVID-19 pandemic, the need for WASH (Water,SanitationandHygiene) is reaffirmed as handwashing is one of the ways to prevent Coronavirus infection and other diseases. The campaign will continue to raise awareness on the same along with focussing on the importance of nutrition and healthcare for women and children, fightmalnutrition, mental wellbeing, self care, science and health,adolescent health & gender awareness. Along with the health of people, the campaign has realised the need to also take care of the health of the eco-system. Our environment is fragile due to human activity, which is not only over-exploiting available resources, but also generating immense pollution as a result of using and extracting those resources. The imbalance has also led to immense biodiversity loss that has caused one of the biggest threats to human survival – climate change. It has now been described as a “code red for humanity.” The campaign will continue to cover issues likeair pollution,waste management,plastic ban,manual scavengingand sanitation workers andmenstrual hygiene. Banega Swasth India will also be taking forward the dream of Swasth Bharat, the campaign feels that only a Swachh or clean India wheretoiletsare used andopen defecation free (ODF)status achieved as part of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan launched byPrime Minister Narendra Modiin 2014, can eradicate diseases like diahorrea and the country can become a Swasth or healthy India.
