ASE July 2025

81

Swachh Bharat Mission: The Evolving Canvas of Cleanliness

Is cleanliness merely an aesthetic pursuit, or the very bedrock upon which a

nation’s health and dignity are built? This fundamental question underpins the

ambitious undertaking of the Swachh Bharat Mission, or “Clean India Mission,”

launched by India’s Prime Minister in 2014. Conceived with distinct rural and

urban streams, its initial phase, Swachh Bharat Mission 1.0, was a direct assault

on open defecation, manifesting in a nationwide drive to construct household

“I wanted to have a look on from the other side.”