HEALTH AND SANITATION AS THE PILLARS OF A HEALTHY INDIA

The story of modern India is connected to each link in the sanitation chain that results in the healthier and safer society

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On this World Health Day (April 7), as nations reflect on the foundations of human well-being, India stands tall with a transformative lesson: health and sanitation are not separate pursuits, but are two sides of a coin. Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India has undertaken a sanitation and water revolution that has not only changed the way we live but also how we thrive.

Rural missions that made a difference

The story of modern India cannot be told without acknowledging the contribution of the Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) Grameen and the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM). These programmes are not just about toilets and tap water alone. They represent a shift in the soul of the nation. These rural missions symbolise dignity, equity, and, above all, health.

When the Prime Minister launched SBM from the ramparts of the Red Fort in 2014, he ignited a movement that has touched every Indian household, making it a people’s movement — a Jan Andolan that was anchored in behavioural change and inter-generational equity. By 2019, India had declared itself Open Defecation Free (ODF) and taken significant steps towards achieving SDG 6.2 (it focuses on achieving access to adequate and equitable sanitation and hygiene for all by 2030) and also ending open defecation, 11 years ahead of time.

A decade of India’s transformative sanitation mission