Swachhotsav 2023: Rally for Garbage Free Cities on International Day of Zero Waste

Swachhotsav 2023: Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs Organizes Rally for Garbage-Free Cities on International Day of Zero Waste.

In anticipation of the upcoming International Day of Zero Waste, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs is organizing Swachhotsav 2023, a rally for garbage-free cities in New Delhi.

The event will take place on March 29th, 30th, and 31st, and will bring together over 350 delegates, including mayors, commissioners, business and tech experts, and women and youth leaders in sanitation. The Swachh Mashaal March will kick off the event, followed by cleanliness drives in participating urban local bodies.

Swachhotsav will also feature discussions and presentations on circularity in garbage-free cities, women and youth leadership in sanitation, and business and tech solutions for garbage-free cities. The event will be organized by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs in collaboration with GIZ, the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection, and UNEP.

The Swachh Bharat Mission, launched in 2014 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, aimed to make India open defecation-free by 2019. The mission was bolstered by the vision of “Garbage Free Cities,” and the SBM-Urban 2.0, launched in 2021, aims at scientific solid waste management.

The concept of “Lifestyle for the Environment (LiFE)” was also introduced by the Prime Minister at COP26 in Glasgow, calling for a global movement towards mindful and deliberate utilization to protect and preserve the environment.

To celebrate the transition from women in sanitation to women-led sanitation, Shri Hardeep S. Puri launched the Swachhotsav 3-week women-led Swachhata campaign on March 8th. The campaign will culminate in a Swachhotsav event on March 29th, as a run-up to the International Day of Zero Waste on March 30th. The campaign also includes the Women Icons Leading Swachhata (WINS) Awards 2023 and a peer learning initiative, the Swachhata Yatra.