New Delhi: In the 52nd episode of Mann Ki Baat, Prime Minister Narendra Modi lauded the efforts of swachhagrahis (clean India volunteers) who are doing their bit to fulfill India’s dream of becoming a clean nation by October 2, 2019. PM Modi also gave a thumbs up to the unique one-month competition ‘Swachh Sundar Shauchalaya Contest’ (Clean Beautiful Toilet Contest) that was initiated by the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation (MoDW&S) on January 1 with an aim to promote toilet usage and mobilise rural households to beautify their toilets. PM Modi said,
You must have heard about many prestigious beauty contests. But have you ever heard about the ‘Toilet’ contest? Over the past month, in rural India, more than 50 lakh toilets have been decorated with paintings, local art. Why? Simply to create awareness about the Clean India campaign and motivate people who are still unaware of the mission. People from across India are participating in this unique competition. You will find colourful toilet photos floating around social media, from Kanyakumari to Kutch till Kamrup.
आपने कई सारे प्रतिष्ठित ब्यूटी contest के बारे में सुना होगा | पर क्या आपने toilet चमकाने के कॉन्टेस्ट के बारे में सुना है ?: PM#MannKiBaat pic.twitter.com/KJWo1a2erx
— PMO India (@PMOIndia) January 27, 2019
With an appeal to people so that more and more swachh warriors can join the ongoing jan andolan in the country, PM Modi added,
I appeal everyone – all the sarpanchs and village heads to take a lead in this campaign in their respective panchayats and make this competition a grand success.
Highlighting the success of Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, PM Modi said that India embarked on a challenging journey of Clean India on October 2, 2014 with an aim to make the entire country free from open defecation and scientifically manage waste. He adds,
With the support from the people of India, today, our country is moving towards becoming an open defecation free country ahead of its deadline of October 2, 2019, so that we all can pay our homage to Bapu on his 150th birth anniversary in a memorable way. I am happy and proud to share the fact that more than five lakh fifty thousand villages and 600 districts have declared themselves free from open defecation. Today, India’s sanitation coverage has crossed the mark of 98 per cent and nearly nine crore household toilets have been constructed successfully.
Reminding countrymen about January 30, the death anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi signed off by saying,
“On January 30, at 11am, the whole country will pay homage to the martyrs and will remember our respected Bapu. On this day, I would like to urge everyone to take a vow to fulfill the dreams of Pujya Bapu, to help build a new India, and to fulfill our duties as a citizen. Let us all move forward with this resolution and ensure this journey of 2019 remains a successful one.”
NDTV – Dettol Banega Swachh India campaign lends support to the Government of India’s Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM). Helmed by Campaign Ambassador Amitabh Bachchan, the campaign aims to spread awareness about hygiene and sanitation, the importance of building toilets and making India open defecation free (ODF) by October 2019, a target set by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, when he launched Swachh Bharat Abhiyan in 2014. Over the years, the campaign has widened its scope to cover issues like air pollution, waste management, plastic ban, manual scavenging and menstrual hygiene. The campaign has also focused extensively on marine pollution, clean Ganga Project and rejuvenation of Yamuna, two of India’s major river bodies.
