Letter to BS: Govt deserves applause for sustaining 'Swachh Bharat'

The points brought out in the editorial “A laudable achievement” (October 3) are relevant and noteworthy for further deliberation and assessment. A look into the implementation of many schemes including Swachh Bharat shows the present government did bring a great deal of visibility to the scheme that finally helped sensitising people about the issue. Considering the Indian scenario, such visibility and sensitisation were the need of the hour to make the scheme work. It has surely done justice to the efforts even if we have to factor in the claim that published statistics might be only partially true.

Another issue that needed to be lauded here is the government's efforts to ensure sustainability of the mission. Reviving a scheme of an earlier government (Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan) demonstrates the present government's commitment to sustainability. It’s initiatives and focus while setting measurable targets like making India ODF (open-defecation free) by October 2, 2019, would go a long way in helping our country reach SDG 6 (Sustainable Development Goals 6) set by the United Nations. The slogan for the scheme "one step towards cleanliness" gives us confidence that the government will now set more measurable targets for other aspects of cleanliness in the second phase of the mission.

Let's all remain connected to the cause and work towards making our country a truly "Swachh Bharat" in the coming days.

M L Kabir,  Kolkata

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