Page 44 - U4SSC Simple ways to be smart

Keys to success

Some key elements of this program that contributed to its success were:

• The partnership with the local university, that provided initial training and boosted the skills of
residents.

• By making use of city infrastructure (libraries and bus stops) the city was able to secure the
technology and to maintain it.

• A comprehensive publicity campaign that made people aware of the facility, including posters
at the libraries and in buses explaining the service to residents.
• Allowing uncontrolled use of the Internet, the city has engendered a sense of empowerment
and allowed residents to be inventive about how they use the facility and what interests they
pursue.

While Johannesburg is a large and fairly well-resourced city, this initiative can be adapted for
smaller cities or those with resource constraints. Cities can roll out wireless hotspots incrementally
as funds become available. Partnerships with network providers can be forged to cover some of
the costs.

Case 6: Resident feedback system

The problem

Swachh Bharat Mission (Clean India Mission) was introduced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi
in 2014, with the intention to enable India to become clean and free of open defecation. Over
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60 000 000 individual latrines have been constructed, and their locations are recorded on Google
maps. However, the real task is their maintenance and upkeep. Depending upon location, a public
toilet might be used by many individuals and needs to be kept clean. Cities across India are
evaluated by the Swacch Survekshan annual cleanliness survey conducted by Quality Council of
India. 73

Government works best when people are directly engaged in public service delivery and the Swacch
Survekshan allocates marks for resident feedback which includes feedback on the cleanliness of the
public toilets. The use of an ICT-based feedback system holds 10 marks under Swacch Survekshan
2020. However, any solution for feedback needs to be simple, cheap and easy to operate and
maintain.

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