National Bal Swachhta Mission

National Bal Swachhta Mission launched by Ministry of Women and Child Development is a part of the nationwide sanitation initiative of ‘Swachh Bharat Mission. Since children can play an inspirational role in attaining goal of Swachch Bharat they can become harbingers of change on the front of cleanliness. Being honest and truthful their words and behaviour can motivate others to keep their homes, schools, and surroundings clean. So there is an urgent need to use children as agents of sanitation by infusing in their brains and hearts the urge for cleanliness through informal ways like small games, poems, storytelling, conversation, among others. They must be taught to adopt health discipline by imbibing habits of early rise, going to parks, regular exercise and avoiding junk food. It is old maxim that a healthy mind always live in a healthy body and no one can imagine to have healthy body without having healthy environment around him. Healthy environment cannot be created by the touch of magic wand but by sustained efforts done on a continuous basis.

The nationwide Bal Swachhta Mission have six components or themes:-

• Clean Anganwadis
• Clean Surroundings g. Playgrounds
• Clean Self (Personal Hygiene/Child Health)
• Clean Food
• Clean Drinking Water
• Clean Toilets

The Anganwadis which were started by the Indian government in 1975 as part of the Integrated Child Development Services program to combat child hunger and malnutrition have become the actual centres for bal swachchta mission. Anganwadis centres being a part of the Indian public health care system are actively involved in basic health care activities including contraceptive counseling and supply, nutrition education and supplementation, as well as pre-school activities. During the Bal Swachhta Week held regularly one of the above themes is covered at each Anganwadi Centre in the states. The Women and Child Development Departments of various states have also been roped in to implement the Bal Swachhta Mission with the help of Departments of School Education, Urban Development, Drinking Water and Sanitation, and Information and Publicity.

The government has planned to organize film, shows, model activities on hygiene, essay/painting and other competitions, role plays etc. to strongly reaffirm the messages of cleanliness, good hygiene and proper sanitation among the children because it is far more easy and effective for children’s impressionist minds to clearly grasp the subliminal messages through the aforementioned mediums and activities than by any other ways. The Ministry  of Women and Child Development has also introduced  half an hour cleaning campaign twice a week in the school involving students, teachers, parents and community members so that the children may get accustomed to the clean practices with regard to their health and life style.

It has been suggested and advised to children that to make cleanliness a hard practice and a personalized trait they must not forget to clean the class rooms, laboratories, libraries, any statue installed in the school, toilets and drinking water areas, kitchen sheds stores playgrounds : maintain  school gardens, school buildings including whitewash and painting; organize essay, debates, painting, competitions on cleanliness and hygiene and form  children’s cabinets to supervise and monitor cleanliness drive.