Across India – Inspection Tour – 27th February to Early March 1949
The last bits of winter were giving way to warmer March days. Construction sites across the nation buzzed with renewed energy. Prime Minister Arjun Mehra had started an extensive inspection tour with T.T Krishnamachari, the energetic Minister of Industries and Supplies.
This was their first major tour since foreign shipments had arrived in July and August of the previous year. It was a chance to see the real progress of India's growing industrial revolution.
In Ranchi, the site of a massive Soviet-aided steel plant under Project Iskra hummed with activity. The air vibrated with the roar of heavy machinery. Giant cranes that had recently arrived from Murmansk swung massive girders into place.
Indian engineers worked alongside their Soviet counterparts with newfound confidence.
"Prime Minister," Krishnamachari said, his voice filled with pride as he pointed to the rising structures. "The speed of construction is incredible. We expect initial production of basic steel components by late next year. The capacity will be enormous.
Not to mention, our own companies will have the required experience with this joint venture to build more of such steel plants in future, without relying on the Soviets."
Arjun nodded and scanned the blueprints that he provided, then looked at the sprawling site. This plant was different from the ineffective layout that Soviets uses right now. So, although their engineers were puzzled by the difference in layout structure, they probably don't know the reason.
He felt deep satisfaction. This was the muscle of Akhand Bharat being built before his eyes.
The tour continued to other sites. At a newly expanded railway workshop in Kanpur, British-supplied lathes hummed with precision. They were turning out components for modernized locomotives. Near Amritsar, vast tracts of land that were now part of the communalized agricultural system saw American tractors preparing fields.
The red machines gleamed as they worked the soil for a second, high-yield crop cycle. Everywhere, the Citizen Reserve Corps Directorate had mobilized thousands of disciplined youths. Their sweat and effort were literally building the new India.
But amid this breathtaking progress, Arjun's sharp eye caught something else. Something familiar yet deeply troubling. It was a persistent problem that marred his vision of a clean, efficient, modern nation. As their motorcade moved through the outskirts of industrial towns or paused in smaller settlements, he saw it everywhere.
Streets were littered with refuse. Open drains were choked with waste. Rivers were polluted by careless disposal. The smell of progress was often mixed with the stench of neglect. Even in some newly established labor camps, despite official directives, basic sanitation was still inadequate. This hinted at widespread habits that defied order.
He watched a man casually spit betel nut juice onto a freshly swept pavement. He saw children playing near a pile of garbage on a busy market street. He noticed waste from a small factory flowing directly into a nearby stream. It was everywhere. This was deeply ingrained behavior, a widespread lack of civic sense that crossed all economic levels and regions.
The sight reminded him with a jolt of the countless frustrations from his original timeline. He remembered witnessing India's eternal struggle with cleanliness, a problem that had stubbornly persisted even decades later.
In his previous life, India had achieved economic growth but still battled ingrained habits of public littering and civic sense. This was not just about appearance. It was a fundamental barrier to public health, national pride, and the image of a truly advanced civilization.
After the extensive inspection tour ended, Arjun was back in the quiet confines of his South Block office. He immediately called for Planning Minister G.B. Pant, Home Minister Sardar Patel, Law Minister K.M Munshi and Labour Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri. He laid out his concerns with intensity that left no room for doubt.
"Gentlemen," Arjun began. His voice was flat and resolute. "We are in the process of building the most advanced industrial infrastructure on the continent. We are educating a new generation, and laying groundwork for the next.
Not just that, but we are also forging a unified national identity. And while they're remarkable, even with all this…we cannot claim to be a great nation if our public spaces are choked with filth. We cannot be great if our rivers are open sewers and our habits show a lack of basic civic pride."
He paused and looked at each minister. "This is not just an administrative issue. It is a question of national character, public health, and our image on the world stage."
Patel, who usually focused on security matters, grunted and shook his head. "It's deeply ingrained behavior, Prime Minister. Generations of indifference to public cleanliness. Hard to change that kind of thing through legislation."
"Then we will legislate it, Sardar-ji, and enforce it with complete determination," Arjun shot back. His eyes burned with conviction. He pushed a document across the table. "I have drafted the outline for a new law. The National Cleanliness and Public Health Act."
The ministers leaned forward to examine the document. Arjun began explaining the core provisions with firm words.
"First, Public Cleanliness and Anti-Littering measures. Littering in streets, markets, rivers, or any public place will be strictly prohibited. The punishment will be substantial fines or mandatory community cleaning duty.
Spitting, urinating, and defecating in public will be outlawed completely. Local bodies will be required to provide proper public facilities. As for the budget, centre will provide funds as a start, but public needs to invest as well later on to maintain the facilities. They need to feel that whatever is being built, is not free."
Shastri nodded thoughtfully. "That makes sense, Prime Minister. But enforcement will be the real challenge."
"Second," Arjun continued, "Food and Hawker Regulation. All street food vendors must be licensed. They will be systematically moved into regulated food centers with proper water supply and waste systems. Selling food outside these licensed zones will result in seizure of goods and heavy fines. No more unregulated chaos that compromises public health."
"Third, Sewage, Drainage, and Water infrastructure. This is critical." Arjun's voice grew more intense. "We will mandate construction of proper, centralized sewage and drainage systems in all towns with populations above ten thousand.
For villages, local councils will be legally required to provide sanitary wells, designated waste pits, and proper drainage. The night-soil bucket system will be banned nationwide and phased out completely. It will be replaced with modern, sanitary toilets within three years."
Patel scratched his chin, processing the scope of what Arjun was proposing. "That's a massive undertaking, Arjun. The infrastructure costs alone...would be sky high."
"Fourth," Arjun pressed on, "Housing and Community Sanitation requirements. Residents will be legally responsible for keeping the area in front of their homes clean, as well as common areas.
Throwing objects or waste from rooftops or windows will be made a criminal offense. This enforces individual accountability for shared spaces."
"Fifth, Public Health and Smoking regulations. Smoking will be banned in all schools, buses, and enclosed public places. Cigarette disposal will be strictly regulated. This protects public health for our industrializing workforce and future generations."
"Sixth, Beautification and Green Spaces development. We will mandate that every town above five thousand population must establish public parks and gardens. Tree planting will become mandatory for all new construction projects. Every neighborhood will be required to maintain green common areas with proper landscaping."
Planning Minister G.B. Pant, who had been listening carefully and taking notes, looked up from the document. His methodical mind had been processing each point.
"Prime Minister, the goal of making India the cleanest nation in Asia is admirable. But I have to point out something about this sixth provision."
He paused, choosing his words carefully. "The mandatory tree planting and large-scale public park development you've outlined here are already integral to the urban redevelopment plans we've laid out for 1953 and beyond.
When we build modern housing and completely redesign cities, these green elements will naturally be included in the architectural planning."
Pant leaned forward slightly. "I think the Act's primary focus should be on the immediate, widespread issues of public behavior and basic sanitation infrastructure. The major beautification projects will come later with comprehensive urban planning. We need to tackle ingrained habits first, not get bogged down in large-scale construction projects that are already planned elsewhere."
Arjun considered this feedback for a moment. Pant was right. The beautification elements would indeed overlap with future urban planning initiatives.
"You make a valid point, Pant-ji," Arjun acknowledged with a nod. "Let's remove the sixth provision and focus the Act on changing behavior and building basic sanitation infrastructure. The parks and landscaping will come naturally with our planned urban redevelopment."
He continued with the final provision. "So our last point will be Enforcement and Incentives. We will establish a National Cleanliness Index. Every city, town, and village will be scored yearly on cleanliness, sanitation, and waste management.
Priority for major government redevelopment projects will go to the top-ranked, cleanest settlements. Modern housing, roads, new schools, and industries planned for 1953 and beyond will be allocated first to communities that embrace cleanliness."
Arjun looked around the table. "This creates direct competition and a powerful incentive among local governments and citizens. It makes cleanliness a matter of civic pride and economic opportunity."
Law Minister Munshi, who had been listening intently as the provisions were refined, closed his eyes for a moment and rubbed his temples. When he opened them, he looked directly at Arjun.
"Prime Minister, this is remarkably thorough. It will require a massive shift in public habits and significant enforcement mechanisms. But I can see the logic. The incentives are clear and the penalties are substantial enough to force a change in behavior."
"It is a question of national will, Munshi-ji," Arjun replied without wavering. "The same will that won our recent war, that built our industries, and that created our Constitution. And to help with enforcement, Shastri-ji, your Ministry will play a central role.
I know that we won't be seeing any immediate success. After all, Infrastructure alone is either poor, or absent entirely, but it will be a start, and will compound over time, especially when the next generation of educated youth steps into the wider world.
For now, our aim is to shape the public habits, while the required drainage and disposal infrastructure is being built."
He turned to Shastri, who had been nodding along with growing enthusiasm. "So, I want you to establish a powerful Cleanliness Union under your Ministry of Labour. It will have branches in every city and major town.
The main purpose will be to ensure this new law is enforced at the grassroots level, to organize mass cleanliness drives, to educate the public about civic responsibilities, and to instill pride in our public spaces.
And they will also be the ones who will be helping in establishing the proper setup."
Shastri's face lit up with genuine excitement but then dimmed just as quickly. "Prime Minister, this will require the mass mobilization, similar to Citizen Reserve Corps.
It's an enormous challenge, especially when Reserve Corps are already stretched thin when it comes to industrial expansion and training of the new Teachers for upcoming official implementation of Mandatory Education.
So, while we can shave off their number in both of these sectors, we would still need more manpower. I suggest we employee the small amount of police and other working professionals who might be willing to work and contribute. Together, they can be the start of all this, and can be expanded eventually when Reserve Corps free up."
Arjun gave it a thought before nodding.
"Alright, also, Shastri-ji, you may employee influential figures to do campaigning about Clean Bharat. People are more likely to hear them, then some political campaigning." He said, as his mind already raced with possibilities.
"We could also have competitions between districts, recognition ceremonies for the cleanest villages, maybe even special badges or honors for citizens who contribute significantly to cleanliness efforts."
Patel, who had been mostly quiet during the discussion, finally spoke up. "You know, Arjun, this might actually work. Indians respond well to competition and public recognition. If we can make cleanliness a matter of community honor rather than just government regulation..."
"Exactly, Sardar-ji," Arjun said. "We're not just imposing rules from above. We're creating a culture where cleanliness becomes a source of pride, where communities compete to be the best, and where each individual citizens feel responsible for the nation's image."
The ministers exchanged glances around the table. They could all sense the ambition and scope of what Arjun was proposing. But they had learned to trust his vision, even when it seemed impossibly grand.