India, Nov. 25 -- With the Swachh Pakhwada on September 16-30, 2025, as part of the Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM), the culture of joint effort was rekindled by activities like Shramdaan and the national appeal in the form of the slogan Ek Din, Ek Ghanta, Ek Saath. This campaign rallied citizens, local governments and institutions throughout the nation and made us realise that it is not a single day of being clean, but a long-term civic practice, which needs systems, leadership, and civic involvement.

The 2025 Swachh Survekshan, the signature project of SBM that was started in 2014, also provided an extra push to the national cleanliness campaign that has been underway since the year before. Cities were not competing only on the basis of th...