Swachhata Hi Seva 2026 begins with call for mass participation in cleanliness drive

The 2026 edition of Swachhata Hi Seva, the annual cleanliness campaign that urges citizens to take ownership of their surroundings, began on Thursday.

Announcing the campaign a day earlier, Union Jal Shakti Minister C R Patil said this year's theme is Swachhata Mein Sahbhag, Swachh Bharat, Viksit Bharat.

The minister said cleanliness has evolved from a government programme into a mass movement driven by public participation under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership. The campaign's launch coincides with the Prime Minister's birthday.

Patil pointed to progress in rural sanitation, noting that 5.25 lakh villages have been declared free of open defecation and that 12.22 crore individual household toilets have been built in rural areas since 2014.

More than 18 crore citizens took part in last year's campaign, including 14 crore from rural areas, he said, describing participation as steadily increasing. The government aims to draw in every state, village, panchayat and individual this year, he added.

The Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation has also rolled out Swachh Seva Aankalan for Swachh Bharat Mission (Grameen) programmes. Under this exercise, gram panchayats will carry out self-assessment of rural sanitation service delivery, a step the minister said is meant not only to meet cleanliness targets but also to ensure the sanitation system keeps improving at the village level.