A swachh bharat idea to Crow about

Considering humans are not really cooperating in cleaning up litter, the Swachh Bharat campaign could look towards the Dutch startup that is apparently training crows to pick up cigarette butts and drop them in special "crowbars" that will reward them with food.

The Panchatantra tales are full of astute crows outwitting not only animals but also displaying perspicacity in times of trouble. These stories have been vindicated by later scientific proof that crows can use tools, hold funerals and even nurse grudges. And a 2016 study found that crows and parrots have the same level of intelligence as chimpanzees. So, the notion that crows can be trained to take over the task of collecting litter should not surprise anyone, least of all Indians.

The system devised by two Dutch industrial designers counts on crows figuring out that litter can be lucrative and eventually spreading the word in their peer groups, leading to other crows voluntarily joining the clean-up brigade. As they were inspired to do this after seeing a man training them to retrieve coins, it is clear clever crows can do much more than merely pick up cigarette stubs. Of course, overeager (and over-smart) crows may just snatch cigarettes even before they are discarded by smokers. But that could be spun as an added disincentive to smoke in the open.