Topic Of The Day:-“Towards A Clean-Up“
The Swachh Bharat Mission is a high-profile national programme enjoying extraordinary political and budgetary support. With its subsidy based mass toilet-building programme, it has put up millions of individual house latrines in rural areas: a government-commissioned survey estimates that the coverage now extends to 62.45% of households, up from 39% in 2014. Among these households, nearly 92% of people who have access actually use the toilets. Big gaps exist, but these are encouraging trends, given the many positive outcomes that sanitation produces. The most important of these is reduced stress for women, who suffer silently in its absence. There are well-known gains to public health as well. Success can be measured, however, only through a rigorous assessment of how the new facilities fare over time. There is data from undivided Andhra Pradesh to show that household latrines built before the current Swachh programme lapsed into disuse because many rural households did not have a water source. The newer ones may meet the same fate without access to water. Also, Dalit houses tend to have lower coverage, hinting at structural difficulties in accessing schemes. Rural housing also needs stronger policy support, without which it cannot wipe out the deficit of about 60 million units that are needed to plan for universal toilet access. In the Centre’s assessment, Bihar, Jammu and Kashmir, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh and Telangana have particularly failed to upgrade rural sanitation, while Sikkim, Himachal Pradesh, Kerala, Uttarakhand, Haryana and Gujarat have exceeded the goals. Given the substantial funding available from the Centre, State governments cannot have a convincing reason for a poor record. The Union Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation, which has introduced a new district-level ranking, should persuade the more backward States to bring about infrastructure improvements. Yet, total Swachh will remain elusive, because even urban India has no comprehensive waste management plan, leave alone the less affluent rural areas. Nearly 60% of sewage generated in the cities currently flows untreated into rivers, waterways, lakes and the sea. The rules on segregation of waste remain on paper even in the bigger cities. It is now left to environmentally conscious citizens to adopt green practices, compost and sort their waste. The big metros generate a few thousand tonnes of garbage every day, and city managers focus their energies on transporting refuse to landfills. Many Indians do not see the waste they generate as their problem, and consider it to be someone else’s responsibility. Mahatma Gandhi saw in this attitude the pernicious roots of societal divisions, and campaigned against it. Achieving his vision for a clean nation will take more than symbolism — it needs clear policies and investments in the right systems.
MEANINGS AND WORDS
1) Put up
Meaning: Arranged beforehand in order to deceive someone.
Example: The whole thing could be a put-up job to get his wife over to Ireland.
2) Rigorous
Meaning: Extremely thorough and careful.
Example: The rigorous testing of consumer products.
Synonyms: Careful, Painstaking
Antonyms: Slapdash
3) Wipe out
Meaning: To lose control, especially in a vehicle, and have an accident.
Example: I was going too fast and I wiped out on the bend.
4) Elusive
Meaning: Difficult to find, catch, or achieve.
Example: Success will become ever more elusive.
Synonyms: Evasive, Puzzling
Antonyms: Facing, Understandable
5) Comprehensive
Meaning: Including or dealing with all or nearly all elements or aspects of something.
Example: A comprehensive list of sources.
Synonyms: Inclusive, Complete
Antonyms: Selective, Limited
6) Affluent
Meaning: (especially of a group or area) Having a great deal of money; wealthy.
Example: The affluent societies of the western world.
Synonyms: Wealthy, Rich
Antonyms: Poor, Impoverished
7) Sewage
Meaning: Waste water and excrement conveyed in sewers.
Example: Sewage treatment.
Synonyms: Trash, Rubbish
8) Segregation
Meaning: The action or state of setting someone or something apart from others.
Example: The segregation of pupils with learning difficulties.
Synonyms: Separation, Partition
Antonyms: Connection, Integration
9) Conscious
Meaning: Aware of and responding to one’s surroundings.
Example: Although I was in pain, I was conscious.
Synonyms: Aware, Awake
Antonyms: Unaware, Unconscious
10) Pernicious
Meaning: Having a harmful effect, especially in a gradual or subtle way.
Example: The pernicious influences of the mass media.
Synonyms: Harmful, Damaging
Antonyms: Beneficial, Favourable
11) Symbolism
Meaning: The use of symbols to represent ideas or qualities.
Example: He has always believed in the importance of symbolism in garden art.
Synonyms: Metaphor, Analogy
12) Contestation
Meaning: The action or process of disputing or arguing.
Example: Ideological contestation over social policy in the European Union.
Synonyms: Argument, Dispute
Antonyms: Agreement, Quiet
13) Disputed
Meaning: Argue about (something).
Example: The point has been much disputed.
Synonyms: Debate, Discuss
Antonyms: Accept
14) Incumbent
Meaning: Necessary for (someone) as a duty or responsibility.
Example: The government realized that it was incumbent on them to act.
Synonyms: Mandatory, Necessary
Antonyms: Optional
15) Overhaul
Meaning: Take apart (a piece of machinery or equipment) in order to examine it and repair it if necessary.
Example: The steering box was recently overhauled.
Synonyms: Rebuild, Revamp
Antonyms: Break, Damage
16) Exuded
Meaning: (of a person) display (an emotion or quality) strongly and openly.
Example: Sir Thomas exuded goodwill.
Synonyms: Emanate, Radiate
17) Deteriorate
Meaning: Become progressively worse.
Example: Relations between the countries had deteriorated sharply.
Synonyms: Worsen, Decline
Antonyms: Improve
18) Bloodshed
Meaning: The killing or wounding of people, typically on a large scale during a conflict.
Example: The president feared bloodshed and disorder if the demands for reform were not met.
Synonyms: Slaughter, Killing
Antonyms: Peace
