'Giving political context to cleanliness will be a big boost'

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's cleanliness drive should be about Indians keeping themselves and their surroundings clean. It cannot be a day-long or time-bound campaign, Bindeshwar Pathak tells Upasna Pandey.

Bindeshwar Pathak, founder, Sulabh Sanitation and Social Reform Movement, is excited about Prime Minister Narendra Modi's campaign for a clean India.

For the first time, Pathak says, positive social issues are being raised in politics. With the prime minister leading the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, he feels Indians will pay heed.

Modi has set an ambitious target of complete sanitation in the next 5 years, which includes getting rid of open defecation and smart management of both solid and liquid waste across the country.

Why is the Swachh campaign important for our country?

Mahatma Gandhi said before independence we need cleanliness in the country. That is how important it is.

So far it has never been a priority of any government. During (then Union minister for rural development) Jairam Ramesh's term, the word sanitation was used not more than thrice in Parliament. It ranked low on the government's agenda.

Now the prime minister is leading this cleanliness drive and bringing it on the national agenda for the first time. I am sure people will pay heed.

You have been working in the field of sanitation and social reforms since the 1970s. Do you think change will be ushered by the government's new campaign?

I have been talking about hygiene, cleanliness for a long time, but I believe that giving political context to the issue will definitely be a big boost. I believe there is a taboo around issues like manual scavenging and we expect someone else to clean up for us. This has to change.

We have to break the habit of getting somebody to clean up for us. In Sulabh schools, the children and teachers take turns to clean the toilets. There is no outsider coming to the schools to clean up. This has to become a habit for us.

Safai karamcharis are in the limelight during the campaign, what are their issues and do you see it being seriously addressed now?

There are some core issues that need to be addressed. They don't have the basic tools and equipment for their jobs.

For instance, there are people who go inside manholes to clean up with lanterns. It is hazardous for them. They need infrastructure for taking a proper bath after their job. Their work needs to be recognised and we need to bring some dignity to their role.

5 things an Indian can do to embrace the Swacch campaign.

We have been focusing only on 'clean hands' so far. What is needed is a clean body, eyes and nose. We need to educate children how to keep their private parts clean. Parents don't give this enough importance. An individual needs to have clean nails, as they are carriers of germs.

We need to ensure our homes are clean, not just during a campaign or a festival. We also need to keep our surroundings and neighbourhood clean.

Image: A scene from New Delhi. Photograph: Sheela Bhatt/Rediff.com