Tamil Nadu: Young changemakers at the forefront of Swachhata
The success of the Swachh Bharat Mission over the past nine years has today resulted in Swachhata being celebrated like a festival, with citizens coming from all sections of society joining in the festivities to create garbage –free India. The launch of Swachhata Pakhwada-Swachhata Hi Seva has taken the country by a storm. Adults as well as kids are joining this Swachhata movement in large numbers. In Tamil Nadu, Swachhata Hi Seva campaign is scheduled with activities by students to be taken up every day. The sanitation revolution is being galvanized through a large-scale mobilization of school and college students into the campaign. Under the Pakhwada, several key activities and small campaigns were held to spread awareness on Solid Waste Management, hazards of Single use plastics. Also, cleanliness drives were conducted in schools and colleges of all ULBs Across the State. It was a cheerful sight to see over 1 lakh students take part in Swachhata Hi Seva activities performed in various institutions. Apart from general awareness and cleanliness campaigns, many of the ULBs also arranged exposure visit for students to Solid Waste Management Plants like MCCs, MRFs, Bio CNG plants and Bio mining sites. In additions, schools conducted competitions on waste to wonder activities in which many students prepared waste to wealth artifacts and displayed in exhibition.
The students were also explained about source segregation of Wet and Dry waste. Onsite composting was also initiated in all schools to manage their own wet waste and students were taught simple techniques for initiating home composting. Rallies, marathons, cyclothons, etc were conducted during the campaign as well. Awareness on Ban on Single use plastics and alternatives for plastics were given to students too. In some of the schools, cloth bags were also distributed and pamphlets on source segregation and home composting techniques were distributed among them. Tamil Nadu students have shown the way as the involvement and active participation of young changemakers like school and college kids is going to play a significant part in shaping up a clean India in near future.
