Hats off to Vidya Balan who is working for a social cause that could inspire several people to become ‘nirmal gram sevaks ‘. A nation’s worth is assessed by its cleanliness and it should be a serious business for the government. Open defecation and open urination are national shames — not just from the aesthetic, human dignity and cleanliness angles, but from the health angle as well. Open defecation has posed a serious threat to the health of children in India. In women, it is linked to other health problems, such as urinary tract infections, kidney and bladder malfunctions due to prolonged retention periods. This is indeed a great step forward to make India free from open-defecation by making people aware about the cause. Vidya’s involvement in the total sanitation campaign has really helped to make it a national obsession.
Vinod C. Dixit
(The views expressed by the author in the article are his/her own.)
