It has been 11 years, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Swachh Bharat Mission stands as one of the most successful examples of sustainable development implementation in modern history. Over a decade under its belt, this flagship programme has evolved from a sanitation initiative into a comprehensive sustainable development model that has redefined India’s approach to public health, environmental stewardship, and social transformation.

The Swachh Bharat Mission’s success stems from its meticulously crafted implementation framework, which addressed both infrastructure development and behavioural transformation. Launched on October 2, 2014, the mission aimed to eliminate open defecation by constructing over 12 crore household toilets, while simultaneously fostering a nationwide culture of cleanliness.

The mission’s dual-pronged strategy encompassed both rural and urban components, with SBM-Gramin focusing on rural sanitation coverage and SBM-Urban targeting comprehensive waste management in over 4,000 cities. It enabled coordinated action across diverse geographical and socio-economic contexts, ensuring that sustainable development principles were embedded at every level of implementation.

The government’s commitment to evidence-based planning is demonstrated through the substantial financial investment of Rs 1.40 lakh crore across both phases of the mission. It helped prioritise not merely toilet construction, but comprehensive sanitation infrastructure, including waste management systems, treatment plants, and recycling centres. The mission’s financial framework exemplified sustainable development principles by ensuring long-term viability rather than short-term fixes.

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Community Mobilisation

The mission’s transformation from a government programme into a ‘Jan Andolan’ is its most significant achievement. Through intensive behaviour change communication campaigns, the mission reached rural Indians with an average of 50 messages per month over five years, funded by approximately $375 million. It leveraged traditional media, digital platforms, and interpersonal communication to create near-universal awareness and ownership of........

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