Bhubaneswar: RPG Group Chairman Harsh Goenka recently put the spotlight on Babeijoda, a small village in Odisha’s Mayurbhanj district, sharing a video on his X handle showcasing the locality’s exceptionally clean and well-maintained surroundings.
Highlighting that the village has remained litter-free and plastic-free for the past 15 years through strong community spirit, Goenka questioned why a similar mission could not be adopted across every village and city in India.
Babeijoda in Odisha has stayed clean, litter-free and plastic-free for last 15 years thanks to a strong community spirit.
Why not we take this as a mission in every village and every city? https://t.co/tvZ4bDcp5L— Harsh Goenka (@hvgoenka) October 3, 2026
The post triggered widespread discussion online, with social media users attributing the achievement to civic sense and community ownership rather than reliance on government aid. The X users pointed out that residents manage daily upkeep themselves, including women sweeping three times daily and enforcing strict plastic bans on visitors, and suggested that urban cooperative societies and city wards could take valuable lessons from the village’s proactive approach to public hygiene.
“Babeijoda shows what happens when people treat cleanliness as their own daily job, not something to wait for the government to fix. Women sweeping three times a day, plastic banned, and rules that even visitors have to follow, that’s hard to copy at city scale, but the basic idea of local ownership is worth trying in every ward,” one user wrote.
Babeijoda is a tranquil tribal village primarily inhabited by the Santals, one of India’s largest Indigenous communities. Renowned for its strong sense of unity and peaceful way of life, the village thrives on collective effort—particularly when it comes to cleanliness and community well-being. Its most captivating feature, however, is the vibrant wall art adorning the mud houses. Created mainly by local women, these hand-painted murals blend age-old tradition with spontaneous creativity, transforming the entire village into a living canvas.
Incidentally, this is not the first time prominent corporate leaders have spotlighted the state’s remarkable initiatives. Industrialists like Anand Mahindra and Goenka himself have frequently taken to social media in the past to praise Odisha for its rich culture, innovative governance, and community-driven achievements
