New Delhi: Dettol and NDTV have been working towards a clean and healthy India since 2014. This year, the campaign moves forward into its eighth year, with the agenda of One Health, One Planet, One Future – Leaving No One Behind. The campaign notes that the COVID-19 pandemic has made it clear that the health of the country is interlinked with the health of its people. Either everyone is healthy, or no one is. It stresses that even a single person’s ill-health makes everyone susceptible and at risk.
This year, the commitment of the campaign is to raise awareness about taking care of, everyone’s health in India – especially vulnerable communities – the LGBTQ population, indigenous people, India’s different tribes, ethnic and linguistic minorities, people with disabilities, migrants, geographically remote populations, gender and sexual minorities.
Ravi Bhatnagar, Director, External Affairs and Partnerships, Reckitt says,
You might have better access to healthcare services by 2030. But you and your family can still be suffering from disease. That could have been prevented by better hygiene, that will seem hollow and that too will mean a greater strain on Public Purse. Let us pledge to leave no one behind and make health care a right and not a privilege.
The commitment to ‘leave no one behind’ is also a core principle of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development – Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This commitment puts equity at the centre of national and international policy agendas, because if it is not achieved, the entire set of global goals themselves, and their vision for a shared future, will not be achieved either.
Along with the health of the people, the season 8 of the campaign will also focus on the health of the eco-system. The environment is fragile due to human activity, that 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.”
Laxman Narasimhan, CEO, Reckitt says,
The connection between public health and the planet’s health affects billions of people now and will soon touch all of our lives as climate change increases the risk of illness. That is why enabling a healthier planet is central to our purpose and runs through everything we do. To protect, heal and nurture people, we must also protect, heal and nurture the natural environment that sustains us. Our sustainability ambitions are built around three areas: purpose-led brands, a healthier planet and a fairer society. Partnerships and programmes like Dettol Banega Swasth India help us realise our ambitions.
Along with health of individuals and eco-system, Season 8 of Banega Swasth India campaign will focus on 75 years of health, hygiene & nutrition in India, Nutrition post COVID-19, learnings from COVID-19 pandemic, Hygiene and Germs, Self-Care, Mental Wellbeing, Adolescent Health & Gender Awareness and Science & Health.
Gaurav Jain, Senior VP, South Asia (Health), Reckitt adds,
The health and well-being of our country is paramount. It’s our responsibility to understand, analyse and work towards addressing issues that will make a real difference. In India, with Dettol Banega Swasth India we are committed to address key health and hygiene challenges to ensure that we create a healthier and more prosperous India.
A Look At Previous Seasons Of Banega Swasth India Campaign
Right from season 1, the campaign focussed on educating people on the importance of sanitation, toilets and proper handwashing techniques. That year, the campaign raised over Rs 281 crores to build and maintain toilets across India’s villages. Whereas, in season 2, the campaign introduced the ‘Swachhata Ki Paathshala’ with campaign ambassador Amitabh Bachchan and created a Hygiene Curriculum to encourage children to follow proper hygiene from a young age.
In season 3, #Mere10Guz initiative was launched with the the idea of each individual being responsible for keeping their immediate surroundings clean. In season 4, the campaign focussed on clean, compost and waste segregation drives at individual and policy levels.
In season 5, the focus moved to air pollution and the campaign created a clean air agenda with the help of doctors and experts. In season 6, the campaign moved forward from Swachh to Swasth with a focus on – only a clean India, can be a healthy India. The key focus areas in this season were on healthy mothers, healthy children, and nutrition for all. The campaign also curated and distributed a medically approved ‘Swasth Kit’ for mothers & infants during the critical 1,000 days.
In season 7, the campaign identified the three pillars of a healthy nation –health, sanitation & hygiene, and environment. In the immediate aftermath of the COVID outbreak, with regular handwashing declared one of the critical steps to fight coronavirus, the wheel came full circle on the conversations around best hygiene practices and their potential to save lives, something that Banega Swachh India campaign had been advocating right from the beginning.
