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Swachh Bharat Mission: Addressing Open Defecation at Massive Scale in Rural India (B)

Prof. Parameswaran Iyer (Research Associate, Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad)
Prof. Ajay Pandey (Research Associate, Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad)
Mahima Vashisht (Research Associate, Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad)
Daniel W. Smith (Adjunct Lecturer, Stanford University)

Publication date: 15 November 2023

Abstract

This case is the second of a three-part series that follows the managerial, strategic, and communications decisions of the Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) or Clean India Mission, the flagship programme of the Government of India to eliminate the practice of open defecation (i.e., not using a toilet) from 2014 to 2019. As of 2014, 550 million people in India practiced open defecation. This problem posed a massive public health hazard and economic drag for the country as well as a threat to global health. Written from an insider's perspective, the cases centre on the decisions made by a new Secretary of India's Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation, who was hired to manage SBM, and the team he assembled. Case B discusses the start-up challenges for SBM, including implementation in India's complex federal system, workplace culture, and the deep-rooted behaviour of open defecation in rural India and the managerial and communication strategies formulated to address them. The case concludes by framing the difficulties with slow-moving states and monitoring rigour that the leadership SBM, with a new team, strategic focus, and early momentum, faced as the mission entered its final two years.

Keywords

Acknowledgements

Funding support by IIMA Case Centre is gratefully acknowledged.

Citation

Iyer, P., Pandey, A., Vashisht, M. and Smith, D.W. (2023), "Swachh Bharat Mission: Addressing Open Defecation at Massive Scale in Rural India (B)", . https://doi.org/10.1108/CASE.IIMA.2023.000042

Publisher

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Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad

Copyright © 2022 by the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad

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