While the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan has made strides, it’s clear that it needs more than just traditional methods

Byline: Piyush Peshwani, Co-founder & CEO, OnGrid

The dream of a Swachh Bharat resonates deeply with all of us, but achieving it requires a fresh, tech-enabled approach. While the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan has made strides, it’s clear that we need more than just traditional methods. To ensure the success of such initiatives, we expect the government to declare a well-structured budget allocation covering technological infrastructure, rewards for participation, waste management systems, and public engagement campaigns. We, as responsible citizens, should take the lead in embracing innovation. Additionally, we need active participation, and healthy competition to drive progress.

For instance, startups or industry players can develop a mobile app where anyone can report garbage accumulation by tagging its location using longitude and latitude. Further, this request is sent directly to the local municipality, allowing them to take quick action to resolve the issue. What stands out about this service is that it is real-time and responsive. Such a system will encourage every citizen to keep their surroundings clean. It is time we think beyond traditional methods and take proactive steps toward a cleaner India.

Gamifying Cleanliness
Gamification – a rising trend across industries is becoming an important aspect of the Swachh Bharat Mission. It is crucial to create an initiative that impacts society, and gamification provides the perfect approach. We can introduce competition between municipalities, districts, and states based on the number of cleanliness requests opened and resolved. The faster a problem is addressed, the higher the ranking they receive. Such competition not only incentivizes local governments but also motivates citizens to take ownership of their environment.

In other words, consider two municipalities – one with 500 service requests and the other with 1000 requests. The first municipality resolves 200 tickets and the second resolves 800 tickets of which 600 tickets were done in a single day. Such efficiency can be tracked in real-time, allowing local authorities to stay ahead and act almost instantaneously.

In addition to this, we can also embrace environmental sustainability by including waste segregation and recycling features. Citizens reporting waste can categorize it into wet and dry, making it easier for local bodies to process and recycle. The app can also help in educating citizens about the environmental impact of proper waste disposal, helping drive a significant behavioral shift in society. Simultaneously, this data can help policymakers identify trends, priorities key areas, and allocate resources accordingly.

With gamification, we can maintain long-term engagement between citizens and local bodies. For example, we can introduce rewards like digital badges or discounts on local services for active participants. This would not only incentivize cleanliness but also build a sense of community and responsibility. By leveraging gamification, we can create an impactful approach that empowers citizens to work together toward a cleaner society.

Enhancing Citizen Participation
To encourage citizen involvement, the app could also reward citizens with certain recognitions so that they can acknowledge the hard work done by the people who put in the most accurate reports or gather the community for clean-ups. For instance, we can reward the citizens with points, badges, or even tax rebates. Additionally, social media integration can bring awareness among tech-savvy citizens to cleanliness campaigns, stimulating participation.

It is also important to invest in cleanliness for a better tomorrow. We should emphasize collaborating with schools and colleges to ensure that the younger generation develops a strong civic habit. We should encourage these students to participate in such initiatives, track and report garbage issues in their neighborhoods, and work together as a community. This way we can plant the seeds of long-term awareness and responsibility among them.

Government’s Role
To build a cohesive community and a system to thrive, the government plays a significant role. From policy reforms to funding for tech startups and public awareness campaigns, significant government support is required.

Other stakeholders will also play an important role in implementing these changes. The municipalities will have to introduce technology as part of their day-to-day operations, focusing on small and manageable tasks while they wait to clean them up on a larger scale. Additionally, public-private partnerships (PPPs) can help in funding resources needed to support the technology and infrastructure whereas, corporates could also link these efforts with their corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives, giving financial resources and technical expertise to fast-track the implementation.

A Cleaner India By 2030
By 2030, our goal is to create a system where citizens are empowered, municipalities are accountable, and India becomes cleaner. With gamification, technology, and public involvement, the dream of a clean India is not just possible, it is achievable.

To implement this change, it is crucial to establish a sustainable system that consistently delivers clean surroundings. Cleaner surroundings not only improve public health but also showcase national progress, attract tourism, and enhance India’s global reputation. Let’s turn this vision into a nationwide movement, and together, build a clean India for future generations.

“A clean India is not just a dream—it’s a collective responsibility. When citizens, municipalities, and governments come together, driven by healthy competition and technology, we can achieve transformative results faster than ever before.”