The Supreme Court has directed education departments across the country to integrate theoretical and practical solid waste management knowledge to train students, underlining that the responsibility to keep the environment clean is not the duty of sanitation workers alone but of every citizen.
It constituted a Supreme Court Monitoring Committee (SCMC) in May comprising secretaries of five Union ministries — housing and urban affairs, environment, forest and climate change, drinking water and sanitation, jal shakti, panchayati raj and rural development. The Central Pollution Control Board member secretary is also part of the panel. It directed the district education departments to conduct periodic audits and submit reports to the district collectors, who would then communicate with the state chief secretaries.
The court was dealing with a matter concerning enforcement of the SWM Rules, 2026. The court directed the district collectors to change the approach and attitude among the citizenry by compelling school and college students to enroll their family members for the implementation of the SWM Rules, 2026.
“It is for their future and health that the student is entrusted with this responsibility,” the court said.
