From toilets to behaviour change: How Swachh Bharat is transforming rural sanitation

September 20, 2026 1:58 PM

From toilets to behaviour change: How Swachh Bharat is transforming rural sanitation

India’s rural sanitation programme has moved beyond the construction of household toilets to a broader focus on sustaining sanitation practices, managing waste and encouraging communities to take ownership of cleanliness. When the Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) began in 2014, rural sanitation coverage stood at 39 per cent. By 2019, the government said rural India had achieved 100 per cent sanitation coverage, with more than 10.28 crore toilets constructed between 2014 and 2019. Rural India was s...

Swachh Bharat Mission: A game changer for public health

September 16, 2024 3:24 PM

Swachh Bharat Mission: A game changer for public health

The recent release of the scientific report in the journal Nature on the Swachh Bharat Mission’s (SBM) impact on the reduction in infant and child mortality broadly coincides with the 10th anniversary of the programme.  Announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his Independence Day speech to the nation from the Red Fort on August 15, 2014, it was formally launched on October 2 of the same year. This was the first time in history that any head of government in the world was publicly co...