Transforming sanitation in India: A decade of the Swachh Bharat mission (2014-2023)

Abstract

This article analyzes the Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) in detail from 2014 to 2023 in order to critically examine the development of sanitation policy in India. The study follows the development of sanitation programs from previous initiatives like the Total Sanitation Campaign and Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan to the more ambitious SBM, all while staying within a sociological framework. It looks at how sanitation was reframed as a national goal and how development, dignity, and health are all correlated with cleanliness. The study examines how public involvement is shaped by visibility, behavioral change, and symbolic governance, drawing on government records, field research, and secondary literature. The intersections of caste, gender, and rural marginality are specifically examined, highlighting SBM's transformative potential as well as its limitations. In addition to highlighting the ways that media campaigns, incentive programs, and infrastructure development influenced changes in sanitation standards, the analysis also reveals inequalities in sustainability, equity, and community involvement. A more inclusive and context-sensitive approach to sanitation policy, based on sociological understanding and participatory governance, is suggested in the paper's conclusion.