Modi Monetarily Supports the Swachh Bharat Campaign

Prime Minister Modi announced plans to allocate government funds for the implementation of the Swachhata Action Plan in the upcoming budget this February. Modi established the Swachh Bharat government program or “Clean India” campaign in 2014 to accelerate national efforts towards improving sanitation, with the hopes of eradicating open defecation in India by 2019. The campaign aims to provide toilets or sanitation resources and also educate the public about available resources. Modi’s prioritization of the Swachh Bharat campaign in the government budget emphasizes the growing importance of the movement to ensure equal access to sanitation and hygiene.

Prime Minister Modi initiated the campaign with the vision of a clean and hygienic India by the one hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the birth of Mahatma Gandhi in 2019. The new action plan will be a two-year program supported by the Swachh Bharat Cess, a tax that specifically funds the Clean India initiative. In comparison to other South Asian countries and Sub-Saharan African countries, India lags behind in open defecation rates: approximately 50 percent of the population still defecate in the open. The sanitation issue is so significant that Pranab Mukherjee, the President of India, claimed that the success of the Swachh Bharat program could propel India to become a powerful modern economy. Therefore, Modi’s allocation of funds to the Swachh Bharat campaign is not simply an effort to clean India, but also part of a larger effort to make India a global power.

Millions throughout India have adopted the Swachh Bharat mass movement by joining the cleanliness initiatives and spreading awareness. The younger generation has particularly been encouraged to get involved through the influence of Bollywood and television celebrities who are actively promoting the initiative. The mass influx of popular support and interest emphasizes that the issue of national sanitation is one that Indians passionately hope to change. Modi’s fiscal prioritization of the Swachh Bharat program is an important step in making his vision for a “clean India” a reality for millions.