SHS utmost relevant to Ghana, India - But in different context

Two days after President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo officially launched the major educational programme, the free senior high school (SHS) policy, in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of which he is also co-Chair of the Group of Advocates of Eminent Persons, the government of India, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, launched an SHS campaign in India.

‘Swachtha Hi Seva’(SHS- Cleanliness is Service) campaign in India is a fortnight- long sanitation campaign from September 15 to October 2, 2017, urging citizens to join the government of India’s flagship cleanliness initiative Swachh Bharat Mission (Clean India Mission) by doing ‘Shramdaan’ or voluntary work.

SHS focuses on mass mobilisation and reinforces ‘people’s movement’ for sanitation to contribute to Mahatma Gandhi’s dream of a clean India.

SHS campaign in India will culminate on October 2, Mahatma Gandhi’s birth anniversary, also observed as International Day of Non-Violence, with an objective to celebrate October 2 this year as “Clean India Day- Swach Bharat Diwas”.

Clean India

Prime Minister Modi had launched the Swachh Bharat (Clean India) Mission on October 2, 2014 with an aim to make India clean by the time the nation celebrates 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi in 2019.

The Clean India Mission also aims to ensure an open defecation free India by 2019. Under the Mission, over 52.5 million household toilets have been built in the last three years as compared to 8.3 million household toilets built in 10 years between 2001 and 2011 under the Total Sanitation Campaign.

The figures indicate a sharp increase in the number of toilets built under any national sanitation programme, as well as speedier pace of constructing toilets under Swachh Bharat Mission. It is on record that 2,48,652 villages and 1,150 cities have been successful in ending the practice of open defecation.

Nearing three years of completion, the campaign has now also laid its focus on the other aspects of sanitation such as behavioural change, pipe water supply to toilets and drainage. The tremendous success and support received by the flagship Swachh Bharat Mission initiative has also helped India in making steady progress towards attaining SDG1: No Poverty, End Poverty in All its Forms Everywhere- Ensuring Access to Basic Services. An innovative tax like the Clean India Cess was levied to mobilise resources for the Clean India Mission.

SHS campaign in India was officially launched by the President of India, Mr Shri Ram Nath Kovind, on September 15, at Ishwari Ganj village in the state of Uttar Pradesh. He administered a pledge to people to keep their surroundings clean and said “India is fighting a decisive battle for cleanliness and hygiene.

“Cleanliness is not only the responsibility of sanitation personnel and government departments, it is a multi-stakeholder movement. Together we should make the effort to clean our houses, public places, villages and cities. Achieving the goals of the Swachh Bharat Mission expeditiously will be an appropriate tribute to Mahatma Gandhi.”
He also said that every person in the society was a "nation builder”.
Leading from the front, Prime Minister Modi performed voluntary work (Shramdaan) for the construction of a twin pit toilet at Shahanshahpur village in his parliamentary constituency Varanasi on Saturday, September 23, as part of Swachhata Hi Seva (SHS) campaign.

Speaking on the occasion, the Prime Minister said: “Cleanliness has to become ‘behaviour’ and it was our collective responsibility to keep our nation clean.

Shared vision

President Akufo-Addo also has the vision of Clean Ghana and promised, when he was enstooled as a Chief of James Town on April 23, 2017, to make the state capital, Accra, the cleanest city on the African continent in the next four years. Thereafter, the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) has rolled out plans to realise the vision of His Excellency, the President.

To achieve the objectives of SDGs in a framework of shared prosperity and destiny, India’s bilateral and multilateral engagement has been guided by the principles of South-South cooperation. This helps to foster the developing countries’ narrative on development and sustainability at multilateral forums. South-South cooperation is particularly beneficial on sharing of best practices, sustainable use of resources available and joint development projects on common challenges.

It was with this spirit that the Minister of Water and Sanitation, Deputy Regional Minister of Greater Accra Region and the Chief Executive of AMA were invited by the High Commission to the screening of movie ‘Toilet- EkPrem Katha’- a movie dedicated to Clean India Mission. Waste management equipment and management support has been provided by India to Ghana under a US $ 10 million concessional line of credit.

While Ghana has made tremendous strides in the achievement of Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), India and Ghana are placed in similar developmental context facing identical challenges. Both countries, guided by the exemplary vision of their leadership, are determined to transform their respective countries to bring prosperity to the citizens. Hence, SHS is of utmost relevance for both India and Ghana but in different context.

The writer is the Indian High Commissioner to Ghana