'Door Shut' drive to check public defecation launched from Maharashtra

The Central government on Tuesday launched a new World Bank supported campaign "Darwaza Band" (Door Shut) to check open defecation across Indian villages, under the Swachh Bharat Mission, an official said.

The campaign was rolled in the presence of Union Drinking Water and Sanitation Minister for Narendra Singh Tomar, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan and officials.

To be rolled across the country, 'Darwaza Band' is expected to inculcate behaviour changes in men who have toilets but don't use them. A part of the campaign will see Bollywood actress Anushka Sharma exhorting women to stand up for this issue in their villages and assume a leadership role.

Speaking about the campaign, Amitabh, a brand ambassador for Swachh Bharat, provided an insight into its development of the campaign and how it stresses a safe space for people to defecate.

Swachh Bharat's focus has been on behaviour change which is being pursued through a comprehensive Information-Education-Communication programme both at the central and state level to promote sustained use of toilets and sustaining the Open Defecation Free (ODF) status already achieved.

Tomar said that 64 percent ODF status achieved is a tribute to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's commitment and the goal for India should be to become a showcase country for cleanliness by 2019.

He lauded the Maharashtra government for its significant 80 percent ODF status achievement and said all attempts are being made to convert this into a true 'Jan Andolan'.

Committing that Maharashtra will become totally ODF by 2018, Fadnavis thanked the centre for selecting Maharashtra to launch 'Darwaza Band' campaign.

Drinking Water and Sanitation Secretary Parameswaran Iyer said that the number of people defecating in the open has come down in the past three years - from 55 crore in May 2014 to 35 crore in May 2017.

He noted that the programme is not just related to constructing toilets but focusing on behaviour changes both at community and village levels, and the need to shift peoples' paradigm from 'Open' to 'Closed', especially for men.

Created by Low Lintas, the Amitabh series of ads will encourages behaviour change in men while the Anushka series is a clarion call to women who are more affected by the problem to stand up for the issue.

--IANS

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