National Cleanliness Day: JICA supports Swachh Bharat Mission
Since 2014, every year on National Cleanliness Day is observed in an effort to maintain the hygiene and sanitation conditions.
New Delhi, January 30, 2020: The National Cleanliness Day is a countrywide event which aims at promotion and raising awareness on the importance of cleanliness. Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) which has contributed in upkeeping of cleanliness through its projects celebrated the National Cleanliness Day on January 30, 2020. Since 2014, every year on National Cleanliness Day is observed in an effort to maintain the hygiene and sanitation conditions. The sanitation coverage was just 40% in 2014, which increased to 80% in 2018 with the efforts of the Government of India. Although there is a vast improvement in the sanitation but there still remains a gap which needs to be addressed.
From the past 30 years, JICA has been closely working with the Government of India and supporting India's water and sanitation sector through ODA loans, technical cooperation, and grants. The flagship program of Clean India Movement (Swachh Bharat Mission) started in 2014. To strengthen its efforts, JICA conducted the ‘Survey on Toilet 2015' in order to understand the reasons for defecating in the open, and further worked on awareness programs to educate the masses.
Speaking on the occasion, Mr Katsuo Matsumoto, Chief Representative, JICA India said, “Cleanliness is not just limited to building infrastructure, but is also aimed at bringing about behavioral change. Which is why the projects of JICA has an underlying component of educating the people, building awareness and encouraging maintenance of the projects. Thus, we have built avenues to educate the masses and bring about a change in their mindset.”
JICA has funded a total of 25 water and sanitation projects in India, disbursing ODA loans worth 752 billion Japanese Yen (approximately INR 44,300 Crore)
