The Doon Mozaic, Swachh Bharat and Dilemma of Dehradun Swacch Bharat and Dilemma of Dehradun | Page 13

The need for clean water to drink, air to breathe and soil to sow vegetables in,
is so crucial that without them a country like India, whose economy largely
relies on tourism and cultivation of spices, can never bloom without putting
sanitation in a clear light. As a result, the Government of India launched a cam-
paign called the Swachh Bharat A bhiyan on 2 nd of October, 2014 at Rajghat,
New Delhi. The campaign launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi a ims at
cleaning the streets, infrastructure and roads of India’s 4,041 statuary towns
and cities. Since open-defecation is a major issue in India, Swachh Bharat A b-
hiyan has its major emphasis on the construction of toilets throughout India;
especially in the remote and backwards villages, where even a century old peo-
ple had never seen toilets in their entire life.
Even though Swachh Bharat A bhiyan is a purely socio-democratic campaign
aiming specifically at sustainable development
of the nation through promotion of sanitation
and fighting open-defecation, to a great extent
it has become a campaign that has in a direct or
an indirect fashion come better the conditions
of women in the society. Even though cleanli-
ness has nothing to do with patriarchy or gen-
der oppression, due to some stereotypical roles
of a woman in a household and the society,
there are a few issues that unfortunately, wom-
en have come to accept as normal. Until re-
cently, women had few choices regarding their
own lifestyle and fewer opportunities to
change unsatisfactory domestic or work conditions and improve their families’
and their own health. Women are vulnerable to health difficulties and hazards
because of their roles as home-managers, economic providers, and their role in
reproduction. With the help of the development to be witnessed by the nation
as a result of the Swachh Bharat A bhiyan, these very silent issues faced by the
women would gradually disappear or at least get less frequent.