Swachh initiative involving kids to stop open defecation a hit: Indore collector

The Indore district administration’s idea to rope in children for the campaign against open defecation is getting a positive response at national level, Indore collector P Narhari said on Sunday.

The Indore district administration’s idea to rope in children for the campaign against open defecation is getting a positive response at national level, collector P Narhari said on Sunday.

IMC workers at a rally held to spread awareness on cleanliness in Indore on Sunday. (Shankar Mourya/HT)

“We feel proud that our concept of Vanar Sena (a gang of small children who blow whistles at people who defecate outside in order to stop the practice in villages) has been chosen as a subject for many short films or songs. Our concept is going national. We are hoping that it makes a huge difference and is applied countrywide which will eventually put a full stop to the problem of open defecation,” he said, releasing a video song ‘Vanar Sena – based on a true Swachhata Sangram’.

The video was released to mark the second anniversary of Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan. This year, Indore and Harda districts were declared open defection-free.

Narhari felt there could not have been a better way to initiate a project with the involvement of kids. “When you have kids involved in projects, you are sure to get a great response. They (kids) can convince anyone and that has worked in our favour, which sums up the whole idea.”

It is difficult to change thinking of people who have been defecating in open, for which children are a good medium to bring a change in thinking, he said.

The nearly two-minute long video song has been sent as an entry to the Government of India’s competition of short-films, videos and songs on ‘Swachh Bharat Abhiyan’. It was shot on a span of two days in Marod, Gulawat, Tillore, Agar and Karjoda villages.

Meanwhile, the municipal corporation carried out a rally from Rajwada to Gandhi Hall to spread the message of a cleaner Indore.