NEW DELHI: The government’s flagship Swachh Bharat Scheme will now leverage popularity of cricket in the country to bring behavioural change in people with regard to cleanliness.The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) has asked municipal bodies to connect with cricket clubs and associations in their respective cities and engage all members and players in the Swachh Bharat mission’s campaign on cleanliness of public toilets.A senior MoHUA official said while over 1.3 lakh public toilets have been constructed so far under the Swachch mission, cleanliness is still an issue at these places. There are many complaints about filthy and dirty public toilets, he said.The campaign focuses on bringing about behavioural change in citizens regarding proper usage of public toilets.
“Cricket is the most followed sport in the country. So the campaign leverages its popularity to ensure the message is spread far and wide,” said a recent letter from the ministry to municipal bodies.
The municipal bodies were also asked to distribute specially printed postcards, with the help of local sportspersons and school children, among public toilet users. “Given that children are one of the biggest agents of change, engage with schools in your respective cities and towns to disseminate the message. Each student can be given the responsibility of visiting one public toilet and distributing the campaign postcards,” the letter said.
The ministry is implementing the Swachh Bharat Mission (Urban) with a goal to achieve clean and open defecation-free urban India by October 2, 2019. One of the key components of the mission is to bring behavioural change among citizens to achieve sustainable sanitation outcomes. The ministry has been launching multimedia campaigns in this regard.The ministry has already asked the municipal bodies to use information technology-based solutions to check the cleanliness at public toilets, which has already been set in motion, said the official.
Cricket Clubs to help in Swachh Mission
Municipal bodies have been asked to connect with cricket clubs and associations in cities to spread awareness about Swachh mission.
Over 1.30 lakh public toilets have been constructed under the Swachch Bharat mission so far.
Cleanliness is an issue at these toilets. Officials say there are several complaints raised about filthy and dirty public toilets.