A nationwide campaign “Hamara Shauchalay: Hamara Samman” (HSHS) was launched on the World Toilet Day on Tuesday by the Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation (DDWS). It will culminate on Human Rights Day on December 10, emphasizing the critical link between sanitation, human rights and dignity.

The campaign reaffirms India’s commitment to maintaining its open defecation free (ODF) status while promoting behavioral change for cleaner and healthier communities. While India achieved ODF status in 2019, the Phase II of the Swachh Bharat Mission (Grameen) was launched to focus on the creation of ODF Plus Model villages, where the first criterion is sustaining ODF achievements, a press release said.

This aligns with the spirit of World Toilet Day, reminding and ensuring continued toilet usage and maintenance is as important as achieving initial milestones. The HSHS campaign serves as a timely call to action to sustain and build on these efforts.

With a strong focus on vulnerable groups, particularly women and girls, this initiative underlines that toilets are more than infrastructure, they are foundational to dignity, equality, and public health aligned with the campaign tagline “ Shauchalya sanware, jeewan nikhare” .

Speaking of this campaign, Secretary, DDWS, Ashok K K Meena, emphasized the importance of a bottom-up approach in ensuring sustained behavioral change.

“Sanitation is a cornerstone of dignity and development. The ‘Hamara Shauchalay: Hamara Samman’ campaign is designed to empower communities, with responsibilities allocated across every level, Gram Panchayats, blocks, districts, and states. This ensures that every stakeholder contributes to sustaining sanitation practices, building pride, and driving long-term impact.”

He further added, “On World Toilet Day, as we align with global efforts to achieve SDG 6, India renews its commitment to creating equitable access to sanitation and ensuring no one is left behind.”

Among key activities of the campaign are competitions to identify and reward the best-maintained household toilets (IHHLs) and community sanitary complexes (CSCs) at every administrative level.

These events will recognize efforts in both functionality and aesthetics, encouraging others to follow suit; Community outreach will play a vital role, with initiatives like “Ratri Chaupals”and WASH clubs that will bring together people and inspire change; sanitation workers will be celebrated through special dignity camps, ensuring their inclusion in welfare programs, and honoring their role in maintaining cleanliness; citizens will be encouraged to share their sanitation success stories through social media platforms including MyGov using hashtags #ToiletsForDignity and #MyToiletMyPride ; participation from all levels of governance, with Chief Ministers and State Ministers leading state-level events, while District Magistrates and elected representatives overseeing district-level programmes.

The campaign aims to improve sanitation infrastructure, foster behavior change, and strengthen community pride by enhancing the functionality and aesthetics of toilets across the country. By promoting ODF sustainability, it emphasizes that sanitation is not a one-time achievement but a continuous journey toward a healthier and more dignified India.

The department, under the Ministry of Jal Shakti, appealed to everyone to make HSHS a success.