Clean Commitments: Csr Initiatives Driving The Elimination Of Open Defecation Through Wash

Abstract

The paper brings to the forefront the degrading conditions of work that manual scavengers are subjected to by throwing light on a documentary filmed by Ms. Divya Bharathi, which is dedicated to the discrimination meted out against this marginalized community. The paper draws a sharp contrast between the Clean India Drive and the plight of the manual scavengers and ponders upon three focal questions: Firstly, how effective is Swach Bharat Abhiyan in attaining the objective of Clean India? Secondly, what role does Corporate Social Responsibility play in eliminating the problem of open defecation? And thirdly, Can CSR solve the sanitation problem via WASH policy? and why there exists a dichotomy between the Government’s claim of increased sanitation coverage and the research reports conducted by international institutions and social organizations? For the purpose of this paper, the researcher will be focusing on the corporate social responsibility of the public and private sector enterprises under Swach Bharat mission, and will be examining the effectiveness of the steps taken by these corporations to address the issue of open defecation