Dettol Banega Swasth India Announces National Winners for the Second Edition of Dettol Hygiene Olympiad

National: Reckitt, the world’s leading consumer health and hygiene company, announced winners of the second edition of Dettol Hygiene Olympiad, the biggest hygiene Olympiad in India under Reckitt’s flagship campaign Dettol Banega Swasth India. The Olympiad was organised to raise awareness about the role that hygiene plays in preventing childhood illnesses. The 15 Olympiad winners, accompanied by their teachers, were felicitated at the launch of Dettol Banega Swasth India Season 10 in Mumbai.

Dettol Hygiene Olympiad 2.0 successfully reached over 30 million children across 28 states and 8 union territories in the country, empowering children even in the most remote corners of India with essential knowledge and best practices around handwashing hygiene. Students in 2500 Gurukuls and other religious education schools also participated, with exam papers available to them in the Sanskrit language to ensure accessibility to a diverse audience. The exam was divided into five Levels for children aged 6 to 16 years, comprising Multiple-Choice Questions (MCQs) on health and hygiene. Students from Classes 1 and 2 appeared for the Level 1 examination; the Level 2 exam was taken by the students of Classes 3 and 4; the Level 3 exam was for Classes 5 and 6; Level 4 for Classes 7 and 8; and Level 5 was taken by the students of Classes 9 and 10. A total of 15 students (three in each Level) across the country were awarded cash prizes, with the first position winning INR 50,000, the second position winning INR 35,000 and the third position winning INR 15,000. 

Ravi Bhatnagar, Director, External Affairs & Partnerships, SOA, Reckitt, said, “Reckitt’s commitment to hygiene, health and sanitation has motivated India’s young minds to champion the domains associated with positive sanitation. We are delighted to witness the astounding results of the second edition of the Dettol Hygiene Olympiad (DHO) that took on the formidable task of reaching the farthest corners of India; from Namsai and Anjaw, the last villages perched on the border of Arunachal Pradesh, to the remote Talala in Gujarat; from Uttarey near the Nepal border in Sikkim and Champai in Mizoram, to Budgam in Kashmir. It gave us immense pleasure to celebrate the success of children from different corners of India and are confident that their enthusiasm and knowledge will contribute to the country’s health progress.”

Ensuring last-mile access and enlightening young minds with the correct knowledge about hygiene and sanitation, the Dettol Hygiene Olympiad provides a nationwide platform to embrace positive sanitation. Through various engaging activities and the Dettol Hygiene Curriculum, Dettol Banega Swasth India remains dedicated to educating children about the six pivotal handwashing occasions through the Dettol Hygiene curriculum programme which includes washing hands after defecation, and the use of toilets; before eating; before preparing and serving food; before feeding infants/children; after cleaning a child’s bottom, and after coughing/sneezing during illness. The programme will be back for its third edition next year, to reach a greater number of children and achieve a more positive impact.