SWACHH BHARAT ABHIYAN: IMPACT OF INCREASED CLEANLINESS ON THE INDIAN ECONOMY

India the seventh largest country by area and the second most populous country with over
1.2 billion people is the most populous democracy in the world. Currently, India one of
the fastest growing major economies, faces many environmental problems and issues
caused by poor hygiene and lack of sanitation in the country. The 17 Sustainable
Development Goals are interlinked Global Goals which are designed as a blueprint to
achieve a better and more sustainable future for people world over. There are
interlinkages between each of these 17 sustainable goals, as Goal No. 6 of clean water
and hygiene is a shared responsibility and has huge impact on the health, pollution and
also climate of any nation. As a World Bank report in 2006 said that India losses 6.4
percent of GDP annually because of poor hygiene and sanitation. Unhygienic conditions
are one of the major causes of diseases. A UN report in May had said that currently,
nearly 60 percent of India's population practice open-defecation which puts them at risk
of diseases like cholera, diarrhea, typhoid etc. Swachh Bharat Abhiyan (Clean India
Mission) is a national campaign by the Government of India, covering more than 4,000
cities and towns, to clean the streets, roads and infrastructure of the country. This paper
looks at the impact of increased emphasis on cleanliness on the Indian economy in terms
of Gross Domestic Product growth, reduction in health care costs, and a source of
employment.