Azaadi@75: Swachh Survekshan 2022 Launched with ‘People First’ at its Core

New Delhi: Shri Hardeep Singh Puri, Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) launched the seventh consecutive edition of Swachh Survekshan (SS), the world’s largest urban cleanliness survey conducted by Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban (SBM-U) at New Delhi today. Designed with ‘People First’ as its driving philosophy, Swachh Survekshan 2022 is curated towards capturing the initiatives of cities for the overall welfare and well-being of frontline sanitation workers. The survey, flavoured with the Azaadi@75 spirit, will also give priority to the voices of senior citizens and young adults alike and reinforce their participation towards upholding the cleanliness of urban India.

The sudden onset of the pandemic brought with it unprecedented challenges in the areas of public health, sanitation, and waste management. However, what stood out was the indefatigable sense of duty that sanitation workers have displayed to keep urban India safe during this time. In order to recognize and honour the contributions made to the nation by the silent army of sanitation workers, the Government has repledged to focus on their holistic welfare. SS 2022 has incorporated specific indicators that drive cities to improve working conditions and livelihood opportunities for these frontline soldiers in urban India’s sanitation journey.

It is symbolic that the seventh edition of the world’s largest urban sanitation survey coincides with the commencement of the celebrations of the 75th year of India’s independence. In keeping with the theme of Azaadi@75 and to pay tribute to the wisdom of the elderly, SS 2022 will aim to capture feedback from senior citizens as an integral part of the survey. To ensure diversity of voices, SS 2022 will also reach out to young adults who are the future leaders of the country and the Swachhata movement. Additionally, the survey is set to protect India’s ancient legacy and culture by nudging citizens to take ownership and initiative to clean urban India’s monuments and heritage spots.

With this launch, MoHUA also kicks off the week-long celebrations of ‘Azaadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’. Continuing with its theme of ‘People First’, SBM-U will organize a series of citizen centric activities under the overarching theme of ‘Jan Bhagidari’. During this week, citizens of urban India will participate in a host of focused campaigns to renew their commitment to the cause of cleanliness. Campaigns such as ‘Kachra Alag Karo’ is aimed at reinforcing the practice of source segregation which is the cornerstone of effective waste management. Alongside, in keeping with the theme of ‘Waste to Wealth’, citizen-driven exhibitions will be organized across cities. The week will also see Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) and communities recognize and felicitate citizen leaders, waste entrepreneurs, Resident Welfare Associations (RWAs), non-governmental organizations (NGOs), etc. for driving Swachhata in their surroundings. Special ceremonies will be organized to salute the courage of sanitation workers who have been at the forefront of the efforts against COVID-19.   The Mission is also committed to continuously engage with citizens to improve the quality of public sanitation infrastructure and services. To this end, the ‘Sarvajanik Shauchalay Safai Jan Bhagidari Utsav’ will be facilitated to assess the quality of community and public toilets and capture citizen feedback for process improvement in future.