Community Mobilization and Behavioural Change in Swachh Bharat Mission: Strategies, Outcomes, and Sustainability Challenges

Abstract

The Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM), launched in 2014, marks a transformative shift in India’s sanitation policy from infrastructure-driven provision to behaviour-centered, community-led mobilization. Recognizing that toilet construction alone does not guarantee sustained usage or improved public health outcomes, SBM integrated political leadership, behaviour change communication, and grassroots engagement to eliminate open defecation and institutionalize cleanliness as a social norm. This paper examines SBM as a large-scale case of state-led community mobilization and analyses its conceptual foundations, strategic design, outcomes, and sustainability challenges.