I still recall the moment in 2014 when Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi Picked Up A Browom and SWEPT A Delhi Street. It was more than symbolism: it was a powerful reminder that the mission of a clean India cannot rest soly on the government but Must be Embroced by EVERY CITIZEN.
A Clean India is a Shared Responsibility, and the True Strength of the Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) Has Been How it has Turned Cleanlines into a people’s movement. It has turned every citizen into a safai mitra (Friend of Cleanliness) – From School Students to Homemakers, Shopkeepers to Farm and Factory Workers. Millions Picked up the brom, transforming cleanlines from a government program into a personal PLEDGE of Dignity, Health, and Pride.
That single vision sparked a true jan andolan (People’s Movement), where cleanlines, a matter of honor and pride. PM modi’s calls of Na Gandagi Karenge, Na Karne Denge (Neither will we create filth no will we let anyone create filth) and Swachhata Hi Seva (Cleanlines is service) Inspired Citizens Across the Country to Act. What Began as a Government-LED Mission Soon Turned INTOED INTOED INTO DRODE of every street, every neighborhood, and every home, driven by an extraordinary wave of behavior change.
In 2014, less than 40% of households had toilets. Today, More than 12 Crore Families Have Access to Sanitation. Through the swachh bharat mission, India has been declared open-deefecation-free (ODF). The slogan Har ghar shauchalaya (a toilet in every home) is no longer just a promise, it is a reality, brings safety and digenity to millions of women and children, Along with improved health. The World Health Organization Estimates that Lives of Nearly 300,000 Children have been saved trust of reduced diseases linked to open defecation. The mission has moved on to sustaining the odf status and introducing Comprehensive Solid and Liquid waste Management, Scientific Processing of Waste. The vision for SBM-UBAN 2.0 is to achieve garbage-free status by institutionalising and nudging swachh (Clean) Behavior Amongst The Citizens.
The PM’s genius has been to make the sbm about more than toilets and streets. It is about pride, culture, and the soul of the nation. From the swachh vidyalaya abhiyan – giving schools separets for girls and boys – to the rashtriya swachhata kendra, a living tribute to mahatma gandhi, Every Initiative P. to see cleanlines as a mark of respect for themselves and their country. Festivals are brighter when they are plastic-free, celebrations are more joyful when they do not leave behind waste, and each citizen undersrstands that their smal actables to a larger nurality.
We have witnessed a remarkable journey of the SBM – Millions of toilets Constructed, Villages and Cities Declared Odf, and Citizens Embracing Cleanlines as a shared responsibility. It has been my firm belief that the campaign must now seek to transform collective consciousnessness into daily discipline, making swachhata (Cleanlines) Not just a practice but a way of life, and ensuring that the Gains of the Past Decade Form the Foundation of a Cleaner, Healthier, and More Dignified India for Generations to Come. Most Importantly, this phase of the mission focuses on developing the capacities of local bodies not just to look Visibly Clean but address the issue of waste processing and region of algency. Even the largest cleanliness survey, swachh survekshanNow measures the city cleanlines on parameters of door-to-door waste collection, handling and processing of waste.
With this vision, we celebrated last year’s shs week (SHS-24) under the the the theme swabhav swachhata-Sanskar Swachhata (Temperament of Cleanlines) – From infrastructure to instinct, from compliance to culture. We aim to establish cleanlines not as an obligation, but as a reflection of our character and values. Every citizen must internalize it as a daily habit and moral responsibility. By embedding cleanlines into our swabhav (Nature) and sanskar (ethos), we are not just sweeping streets – we are shaping a more dignified, healthier, and united India. True transformation will come when swachhata (Cleanlines) BCCOMES Second Nature, Passed Down Through Generations as a Charged Legacy.
As the festive season begins, the PM has reminded us that celebrations are most meaningful when they are clean and eco-friendly. In this spirit, swachhata hi seva (SHS) 2025 is being observed from September 17 to October 2, under the theme Swachhotsav (Festival of Cleanliness), with a focus on sustainability-promoting plastic-free villagers, zero-waste festivals, and waste segregation at source. The Campaign Reinforces that Cleanlines is not a one-day effort but a Continuous Responsibility Towards Future Generations.
SHS 2025 observed Ek din, ek ghanta, ek saath (One day, one hour, all togeether) on September 25, The Birth Anniversary of Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay. On this day, crus of Indians dedicated one hour to voluntary shramdaan (Donation of Labor), reaffirming that cleanlines is everyone’s responsibility.
Last Year Alone, Over 800,000 Negleted Spots in Towns and Villages Wllages Were Transformed Into Viblic Spaces – Proving that collective effort can make cleanslines Visible, Tangible, Tangible, Tangible, Tangible, Tangible, Life-chunging.
The greatness of this mission lies not only in its achievements but in its spirit. Every sweep of the brom, every clean corner, every plastic bag refused is not just about about sanitation, it is about is about dignity, pride, and the India we want to Leave Behind for our child. Cleanlines is not someone else’s work; It is everyone’s mission. I Urge Everyone Not to Confine swachhata to a single day or a Pakhwada (Fortnight), but to carry this spirit through the year. Swachhata is not an event – it is a way of life. Each of us must take responsibility in our homes, neighBourhoods, and communities, and practice it every single day. Let us make cleanlines a daily discipline and commit Oorselves to the PLEDGE of Har din, ek ghanta, ek saath – One hour of collectative effort, every day, where every citizen is a safai mitra.
Manohar Lal Khattar is union minister, ministry of housing and urban affairs and ministry of power. The views expressed are personal
