Tamil Nadu: The resounding success of the Swachh Bharat Mission, which has spanned nine years, has transformed Swachhata (cleanliness) into a nationwide celebration akin to a festival. People from all walks of life have come together to create a garbage-free India, with the launch of ‘Swachhata Pakhwada-Swachhata Hi Seva’ igniting a storm of enthusiasm across the country, read the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs press release. Both adults and children are actively participating in this sweeping Swachhata (cleanliness) movement, with Tamil Nadu witnessing a surge of youthful energy in the campaign.
The Swachhata Hi Seva campaign in Tamil Nadu has been meticulously planned with daily activities involving students taking center stage.
The sanitation revolution is gaining momentum through the active involvement of school and college students, read the press release.
During the Pakhwada (fortnight), a wide array of activities and small campaigns were organized to raise awareness about Solid Waste Management and the hazards of single-use plastics.
One of the highlights of this campaign has been the cleanliness drives conducted in schools and colleges across all urban local bodies (ULBs) in the state, read the press release.
Over 1 lakh students enthusiastically participated in various Swachhata Hi Seva activities held in educational institutions.
These activities not only aimed to spread awareness but also encouraged students to actively engage in cleanliness initiatives.
In addition to general awareness and cleanliness campaigns, ULBs facilitated exposure visits for students to Solid Waste Management Plants, including Material Recovery Facilities (MRFs), Bio CNG plants, and Biomining sites, read the press release.
Many schools organized waste-to-wealth competitions, inspiring students to create valuable artefacts from waste materials, which were proudly displayed in exhibitions.
Students were also educated about the crucial practice of segregating wet and dry waste at the source.
Also Read: Fortnight-Long Swachhata Hi Seva Programme Launched
To further promote sustainable waste management, schools initiated onsite composting for their wet waste, teaching students simple techniques for home composting.
The campaign featured various events such as rallies, marathons, and cyclothons, encouraging active participation from students.
Awareness about the ban on single-use plastics and the exploration of alternatives was another essential aspect of the campaign, read the release.
Some schools even distributed cloth bags and informative pamphlets on source segregation and home composting techniques among their students.
The active participation of young changemakers, particularly school and college students, is anticipated to play a pivotal role in shaping a cleaner India in the near future.
Tamil Nadu’s students have set an inspiring example, highlighting the significance of youth engagement in the pursuit of a cleaner and more sustainable nation.
Also Read: Indian Swachhata League Kicks Off With Over 4,000 City Teams Joining Cleanliness Crusade
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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 – the LGBTQ 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 current COVID-19 pandemic, the need for WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) 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, fight malnutrition, 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 like air pollution, waste management, plastic ban, manual scavenging and sanitation workers and menstrual hygiene. Banega Swasth India will also be taking forward the dream of Swasth Bharat, the campaign feels that only a Swachh or clean India where toilets are used and open defecation free (ODF) status achieved as part of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2014, can eradicate diseases like diahorrea and the country can become a Swasth or healthy India.
