New Delhi: Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, the cleanliness campaign launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2014, is into its fifth and final leg, the central government is walking an extra mile to ensure the goal of Clean India is achieved by October 2, 2019 deadline. An initiative to promote the cause was the launch of “Swachh Bharat World Toilet Day Contest 2018,” by the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation (MoDW&S), to mark World Toilet Day. The winners of the 10 day (November 9 – November 19) contest, to encourage districts of India to focus on sustainability OF open defecation free (ODF) status, have now been announced.
In Pics: World Toilet Day 2018: Five Stark Facts About Sanitation
On Wednesday (January 2), the ministry released the list of top 10 placeholders that is the top 12 districts (including joint winners). Here is the list in alphabetical order-
– Bankura, West Bengal
– Ganderbal, Jammu and Kashmir
– Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh
– Hazaribagh, Jharkhand
– Jehanabad, Bihar
– Kandhamal, Odisha
– Kodagu, Karnataka
– Lohardaca, Jharkhand
– Murshidabad, West Bengal
– Salem, Tamil Nadu
– Sangli, Maharashtra
– South West Khasi Hills, Meghalaya
Also Read: How Women-Friendly Toilets Can Improve Cleanliness And Hygiene In India
As notified by the ministry earlier, the top 10 District Collectors, along with the top three State Mission Directors/State Secretaries in-charge of sanitation will be recognised and awarded by the Swachh Bharat Mission and get a chance to interact and share their ODF journey and future strategies with Swachh Bharat brand ambassador and Actor Akshay Kumar.
Happy to share that I will be associated with the @swachhbharat #WorldToiletDay Contest 2018. I will be interacting with the heads of the winning districts and States who organize the largest scale Swachhata campaigns during the Contest period. Visit https://t.co/ERRz8l2qvw pic.twitter.com/huVubW9ioO
— Akshay Kumar (@akshaykumar) November 16, 2018
World Toilet Day Contest: Lookback At Activities Undertaken By Districts Of India
A total of 412 districts from 25 states and union territories participated in the contest. Those 10 days witnessed a plethora of Information, Education and Communication (IEC) related initiatives and Solid Liquid Waste Management (SLWM) activities, being organised across the country.
I am very happy to share that 412 districts of our country organized mass mobilization around Swachhata on #WorldToiletDay 2018. I laud the leadership shown by these districts to keep up the @swachhbharat jan andolan! pic.twitter.com/auYAqlRmU5
— Akshay Kumar (@akshaykumar) December 5, 2018
To mark the launch of the contest, people in East Khasi Hill District of Meghalaya came together for a cleanliness drive.
Beginning of #WorldToiletsDay 21018 activities in East Khasi Hills District of #Meghalaya, at Smit village. The people of the village came together for a cleanliness drive. pic.twitter.com/u8x2iGN4oy
— Swachh Bharat I #AzadiKaAmritMahotsav (@swachhbharat) November 10, 2018
In Daringbadi, Odisha, over 6,000 people gathered to be a part of the awareness activities organised by the district officials. The awareness programme started with a speech about the need for safe sanitation followed by a skit by school students, and more.
Activities for the #WorldToiletDay 2018 were organized at Daringbadi Block, #Odisha. The programme started with a speech about the need for safe sanitation followed by a skit by school students, and more. More than 6000 people came together to be a part of this event. pic.twitter.com/T95tmqxKNW
— Swachh Bharat I #AzadiKaAmritMahotsav (@swachhbharat) November 10, 2018
Also Read: On World Toilet Day, Top Bureaucrats Get Their Hands Dirty To Clean Toilet Pits In Uttar Pradesh
On World Toilet Day, school students in Bulandshahr district of Uttar Pradesh, came together and made a human formation of the twin pit toilet model.
On the occasion of #WorldToiletDay, young school students in Bulandshahr district, #UP, came together & made a human formation of the twin pit #toilet model. This commitment to spreading awareness about @SwachhBharat is what fosters the environment of safe #sanitation. pic.twitter.com/21o8D0Loji
— Param Iyer (@paramiyer_) November 20, 2018
About World Toilet Day Contest 2018
The contest initiated in the run-up to the World Toilet Day which is celebrated on November 19 every year was announced on November 3. As per the advisory issued by the Ministry, for 10 days districts across the country were asked to compete on a range of Swachhta related activities, to sustain the outcomes achieved by them so far and strengthen the behaviour change and encourage a mass movement.
The participants were evaluated on following thirteen indicators, divided into nine tasks which were supposed to be carried out during the ten day period-
– Number of households visited to drive behaviour change with respect to sanitation
– Number of rallies/drives organised
– Number of people participated
– Number of villages covered
– Number of Swachhta Champions such as Swachhagrahis, Block Development Officers, Sarpanches, and Pradhans awarded at public events held for this purpose
– Number of dustbins distributed
– Number of biogas units sanctioned
– Percentage of Gram Panchayats with twin-pit models installed and displayed at Panchayat Houses.
– Any other innovations related to the quality and sustainability of ODF outcomes in districts are also required to be reported to compete in the contest.
Also Read: How Districts Prepared For The World Toilet Day Contest
NDTV – Dettol Banega Swachh India campaign lends support to the Government of India’s Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM). Helmed by Campaign Ambassador Amitabh Bachchan, the campaign aims to spread awareness about hygiene and sanitation, the importance of building toilets and making India open defecation free (ODF) by October 2019, a target set by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, when he launched Swachh Bharat Abhiyan in 2014. Over the years, the campaign has widened its scope to cover issues like air pollution, waste management, plastic ban, manual scavenging and menstrual hygiene. The campaign has also focused extensively on marine pollution, clean Ganga Project and rejuvenation of Yamuna, two of India’s major river bodies.
