Baahubali and Bhagat Singh come to push swachh drive at railway stations

With estimated 60 per cent of toilets built under Swachh Bharat Mission lying unused, startups have come up to the rescue of the railway ministry with innovative communication module to induce behavioural changes in people.

From national icons like Mahatma Gandhi, BR Ambedkar and Bhagat Singh to present-day heroes like Baahubali, the module uses these characters to urge people to stop littering and defecating in public.

A pilot project has been launched by a behavioural intervention startup, Antyodaya Group at the New Delhi railway station which uses behavioural science to communicate the message. Posters and hoardings have been put up at the station appealing passengers to be like Gandhi, Ambedkar and Bhagat Singh by keeping the country clean.

TOILET INFRASTRUCTURE

"The Swachh Bharat Mission is mostly confined to create toilet infrastructure but little has been done to change the mindset of people towards using these facilities. As a result, the infrastructure largely remains unused. The startup is inspired by this behvioural pattern that needs to be changed," said Sourav Panda, the founder of the startup, adding, it uses applied and social psychology, behaviour economics and choice architecture to spread the message of cleanliness.

Official sources said Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, touted as world's biggest cleanliness programme, with nearly eight per cent of the total budget reserved for the behavioural-change component, but over last three years, the focus has been on building toilet infrastructure without the proper understanding of how people's mindsets can be changed towards their usage.

Sources said nearly 60 per cent of the total toilets built under the mission are not being used as also unused toilets are being converted into storage spaces and thus causing huge loss to the public.

Seventy per cent of all diseases diagnosed are related to sanitation. If this goes on then India is facing a 2.2 trillion dollar expenditure on public healthcare because of lack of awareness about sanitation.

The railways has also launched a slew of measures, including use of clean fuel under Swacchh Bharat Abhiyan. The railways has also set the target of providing bio-toilets in all trains by September 2019. With the provision of bio-toilets in all its coaches, discharge of human waste from trains on to the ground would be completely stopped which in turn would help in improving cleanliness and hygiene. In keeping pace with the programme, Indian Railways undertook intensive cleanliness drives on all stations.Also Read

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