India has made remarkable progress since its independence. It has come a long way in the path of development. However, it lags in certain aspects of development. One of them is maintaining cleanliness in comparison to other countries such as Singapore, etc. Thus India is still a village which has scope for development even though it has numerous urban areas situated in it.
Cleanliness is essential to ensure a healthy and disease-free environment. For instance, people living in a clean environment are less likely to suffer from mosquito-borne diseases such as dengue. In areas where the air is polluted, most people will be prone to respiratory problems. Cleanliness can lead to sanitation. For example, access to clean and safe drinking water can prevent water-borne diseases, such as diarrhea or dysentery.
In India, many steps have been taken to ensure cleanliness. For instance, Prime Minister Modi launched a country-wide campaign called ‘”Clean India Campaign/Swachh Bharat Abhiyan” in 2014 to eliminate open defecation and improve solid waste management in urban and rural areas in India.
This campaign has made remarkable progress in the past few years. According to the Deccan Herald, more than 110 million toilets have been built in these five years in towns and villages, and about 600 million people have been given access to them. Thus Prime Minister Modi has declared that the country is now open defecation-free.
However, there are instances of open-defecation in slum areas. There have been community toilets built near the slum areas to cater to the problem of open defecation, but they are present only in a selected few areas. Another problem associated with it is they are inadequate for the people. Slum areas have a large population.
Mahatma Gandhi rightly said, “Be the change you want to see in the world.” Change starts with an individual. You can keep your surroundings clean, for example, you can keep your neighbourhood clean, and in turn, you can set an example for others. One can discourage his/her peers to litter if s/he himself/herself does not indulge in the same.