Bal Swachhta Abhiyan

Bal Swachhta Abhiyan under Swachh Bharat Abhiyan

Bal Swachhta Abhiyan is a cleanliness campaign with its parent mission Swachh Bharat Abhiyan launched by the Government of India which mainly focuses on the sanitation and hygiene of the nation and also of the people of the nation. It was launched on 2^nd October 2014 to make people aware of the cleanliness and to tell them the benefits of cleanliness and motivate them to cooperate in it.

The mission was quite successful and its result can be seen by anyone. The Bal Swachhta Abhiyan is a part of Swachh Bharat Abhiyan which itself too focuses on cleanliness but in a different way and with a different motive.

What is Bal Swachhta Abhiyan?

Bal Swachhta Abhiyan is a very important and integral part of Swachh Bharat Abhiyan. It was launched on 14^th November 2014 on the occasion of Children’s Day which is also the birth anniversary of the first Prime Minister of India Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru. The Bal Swachhta Abhiyan is all about spreading awareness among children regarding cleanliness and sanitation and that is why the government planned to launch on Children’s Day.

The Baal Swachhta Abhiyan is a 5-day mission starting on 14^th November and thus ending on 19^th of the same month which is also the birth anniversary of the first female Prime Minister of India Late Indira Gandhi. The campaign Bal Swachhta Abhiyan was launched by the Minister of Women and Child Development Menka Gandhi in New Delhi and is being carried out by the Education and Health Department in India.

Objectives of Bal Swachhta Abhiyan

As the name suggests, Bal Swachhta Abhiyan is a cleanliness campaign like Swachh Bharat Abhiyan but it seeks cleanliness completely with the help of the children of Nation. The various reports and surveys conducted on children say that an activity that a child performs regularly in his/her earlier days, whether good or bad, becomes his/her habit for the rest of the life.

The government took it as an advantage and launched Bal Swachhta Abhiyan so that the cleanliness and practice of sanitation can be made their habit for the life long journey.

The participation of children in keeping their classroom, School, Play-Ground, Canteen, etc cleaned will make it their habit and will also inspire their family members and other people to learn from them and to help in cleaning their society as well.

Bal Swachhta Abhiyan also works on teaching the children about the methods and benefits of cleanliness so that they can spread the message efficiently. The healthy habits like washing hands properly before taking a meal, keep toilets clean, keep drinking fresh water, don’t let the water be contaminated and other healthy habits will make them lead a healthy, active and disease-free life.

Day Wise Themes of Bal Swachhta Abhiyan in 2014

It is already told that Bal Swachhta Abhiyan is a five-day campaign starting on 14^th November and ending on 19^th November. This five days campaign is run through five different themes carrying one theme for each day. All five days are mainly focused on cleanliness but cleanliness divided into five different fields per day. The themes are given as:

• The theme for 14^th November is “Clean Schools, surroundings and Play Area”. These are the places where children spend most of their time and gather to enjoy. These places should be necessarily kept clean to avoid some serious diseases.
• The theme for 15^th November is “Clean Food”. A fresh and healthy food will make children healthy and active whereas a stale and unhealthy food will make them weak and sick. Foods are also an important factor that is why awareness for healthy and clean food is also very important.
• The theme for 17^th November is “Clean Self”. Before cleaning the surrounding, cleaning ourselves is the most important thing. Cleaning self includes brushing teeth regularly, bathing regularly, washing hands well right after playing and just before having a meal. These are few basic self-cleaning tips.
• The theme for 18^th November is “Clean Drinking Water” because water is the basic need of our life and we hardly can spend a day without it. Water resources must be kept clean because water is that thing, through which many infectious viruses enter our body and make us seriously ill. Keeping water bodies clean and covered is one of the most needful things for children.
• And the theme for the last day i.e. 19^th November is “Clean Toilets”. Toilets are places that need regular maintenance and cleaning. The side effect of a dirty toilet is not unknown to anyone so the toilets, whether in a house or School, should be cleaned from time to time.

All the five different themes mentioned above tell the five different fields in which the cleanliness for children is must to be achieved.

Ways to Celebrate Bal Swachhta Abhiyan

The mega campaign Bal Swachhta Abhiyan is a very important step of the government of India and more important than that is the operation of the campaign. The operation of the Bal Swachhta Abhiyan is based on few highlights as mentioned below:

• All the Government and Private Schools are directed by the Directorate of the Education to carry Bal Swachhta Abhiyan and involve every child in cleanliness drive so that they can be a part of it.
• Schools are also advised to make children aware of the cleanliness and its benefits and teach them to practice healthy sanitation habits.
• The School, Playground, canteen, toilets, and other places should be kept clean and also there be a facility of pure drinking water with avoidance of unnecessary contamination of water.
• There should be a proper use of dustbin wherever needed and also these dustbins should be regularly cleaned and dried before next use so that no infectious disease should grow there.
• Children should be taught to practice healthy habits like brushing their teeth daily, regular washing and combing of hair, washing hands properly before and after a meal and wearing slippers or shoes while walking, etc.
• Utensils used in the kitchen should be properly cleaned and the cans and drums used for storing grains should be chemical-free and also food must be served with utensils having long handles.
• The drinking water should be clean and also the storage tanks should be cleaned regularly with no existence of water contamination.
• The health centres in Schools should be well cleaned and equipped with all necessary types of equipments and medicines and also they must provide students the information about a healthy diet, nutrition through charts, videos or other means.
• The children should be taught about healthy habits and practices together with the diseases born by the unhealthy means.

Importance of Bal Swachhta Abhiyan

Undoubtedly Bal Swachhta Abhiyan is a very important initiative of the Government of India. It comes with plenty of importance which will benefit the next generation and the whole nation.

The first and foremost importance of this Mission is to spread awareness among children about hygiene and hygienic practices and to make cleanliness their regular habit. Through the scheme, children will also motivate other people to participate in the cleanliness drive and make their society clean. The cleanliness of the surroundings will provide a better environment to live in and a healthy future for the upcoming generations. The Growing habit of cleanliness among children will help to spread the message of cleanliness in the world and thus we can achieve a healthy tomorrow.

The government declared the different days of Bal Swachhta Abhiyan with different themes to make cleanliness more interesting. Also, different themes on each day will help to cover each sector separately leaving no sector dirty as before. The Bal Swachhta Abhiyan is for the children of the nation so we all should actively and enthusiastically participate in it. On the date of launching of the Mission, the minister of Women and Child Development Menka Gandhi said that Children can play a major role in keeping India neat and clean and so every child of India is the Brand Ambassador of Bal Swachhta Abhiyan.