GHCl Digest - JANUARY 2018

Issue 93, February edition
11
Convergence of Swachh Bharat and GHCL CSR Intervention
-Ms. Sugandha Rastogi, Asst. Manager-Sustainability, Noida
As an extension of series of arcles in GHCL Digest under the umbrella of Sustainability,
we would like to provide some background on Prime Minister Modi’s flagship
project of ‘Swachh Bharat’ and its convergence with our one key CSR intervenon
in Gujarat. Swacch Bharat being one of the key project has direct linkage
with United Naon Sustainable Development Goal No-6 (Ensure Access to Water
and Sanitaon to All). CSR, as communicated in previous arcles related to
sustainability, is a major component of sustainability which contributes towards
Social Dimension and is necessary for maintenance of ‘Social License to Operate’.
Coming back to Swachh Bhart programme, as a part of the First Five Year Plan of the Government of
India, rural sanitaon Programme was launched in 1954 for the first me. In the year 1986, Government
of India launched Central Rural Sanitaon Programme (CRSP) primarily with the objecve of improving
the quality of life of the rural people and also to provide privacy and dignity to women. Total
Sanitaon Campaign (TSC) was launched in 1999, which had a “demand driven” approach and it emphasised
more on Informaon, Educaon and Communicaon (IEC), Human Resource Development
(HRD), Capacity Development acvies to increase awareness among the rural people and generaon
of demand for sanitary facilies. Under the scheme, financial incenves were given to Below Poverty
Line (BPL) households for construcon and usage of individual household latrines (IHHL) in recognion
of their achievements. Subsequently, Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan (NBA) followed TSC and was launched in
the year 2012 with the main objecve to accelerate sanitaon coverage in rural areas. Under NBA, the
Incenves for IHHLs were enhanced and further focussed support was obtained from MNREGA.
To put focus on Sanitaon, accelerate the overall efforts and achieve complete sanitaon coverage the
Prime Minister Modi, launched the Swachh Bharat Mission on 2nd October, 2014 which aims to
achieve Swachh Bharat by 2019, as a fiWng tribute to the 150th Birth Anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.
In rural areas it aims at making Gram Panchayats Open Defecaon Free (ODF) and improve cleanliness
levels through Solid and Liquid Waste Management acvies specific to each Gram Panchayat. Community
led sanitaon approach is being followed to bring behaviour change in communies which was
lacking in all the sanitaon programmes earlier.
GHCL through its CSR arm GHCL foundaon caters to the holisc development of the surrounding community.
One such iniave has been taken to upli the infrastructure for health, sanitaon and
hygiene in rural areas across the naon. GHCL started its Sanitaon related acvies in 2012. At present,
GHCL’s sanitaon related acvies are going on in six blocks in four districts in the state of
Gujarat. GHCL now converging with the Swachh Bharat Mission, strives to create a significant impact
on human health and hygiene pracces through behavior change of community members. Building
toilet units in village level and enabling them to change their aWtude and pracces on use is the key
element of the approach. So far, GHCL has contracted 8721 toilet units at the village level through the