Prime Minister Narendra Modi To Inaugurate Rashtriya Swachhata Kendra On Saturday, August 8; Interact With Students

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will on Saturday, August 8, inaugurate the ‘Rashtriya Swachhata Kendra’, an interactive experience centre on the Swachh Bharat Mission. A tribute to Mahatma Gandhi, the Rashtriya Swachhata Kendra (RSK) was first announced by the prime minister on April 10, 2017, on the occasion of the centenary celebrations of Gandhiji’s Champaran ‘satyagraha’.

After taking a tour of the RSK, located near Raj Ghat, PM Modi will interact with 36 school students from Delhi, representing the 36 states and union territories, at the amphitheatre of the RSK, adhering to social distancing protocols, an official statement said. This will be followed by his address.

The installations at the RSK will introduce future generations to the successful journey of the world’s largest behaviour change campaign, the Swachh Bharat (clean India) Mission, it said. A balanced mix of digital and outdoor installations in the RSK will impart information, awareness and education on swachhata (cleanliness) and related aspects.

Also Read: Swachh Bharat For All? Despite Community Toilets Built, Access Remains An Issue For Slum Dwellers In Delhi

The complex interplay of processes and activities will be presented through assimilative learning, best practices, global benchmarks, success stories and thematic messages in an interactive format.

In hall 1, the visitors will experience a unique 360-degree audio-visual show, which will narrate India’s Swachhata story – a journey into the largest behaviour change campaign in the history of the world, the statement said.

Hall 2 contains a series of interactive LED panels, hologram boxes, interactive games and much more, to tell the story of the work done to achieve Gandhi’s vision of a Swachh Bharat.

The open-air displays in the lawn adjacent to RSK will showcase three exhibits which are anecdotes from the journey of India from “Satyagraha to Swachhagraha”.

Also Read: Before And After Swachh Bharat Abhiyan: Has India Finally Managed To Provide Sanitation For All In This Decade

The artistic wall murals around the centre also chronicle the core elements of the Mission’s success, the statement said.

The Swachh Bharat Mission has transformed rural sanitation in India and has changed the behaviour of over 55 crore people from open defecation to using a toilet. India has received high praise from the international community for this and we have set a precedent for the rest of the world to follow, it observed.

The mission is now in its second phase, aiming to take India’s villages from Open Defecation Free (ODF) to ODF Plus, with a strong focus on sustaining ODF status and ensuring solid and liquid waste management for all, it pointed out.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

NDTV – Dettol Banega Swasth India campaign is an extension of the five-year-old Banega Swachh India initiative helmed by Campaign Ambassador Amitabh Bachchan. It aims to spread awareness about critical health issues facing the country. In wake of the current COVID-19 pandemic, the need for WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) is reaffirmed as handwashing is one of the ways to prevent Coronavirus infection and other diseases. The campaign highlights the importance of nutrition and healthcare for women and children to prevent maternal and child mortality, fight malnutrition, stunting, wasting, anaemia and disease prevention through vaccines. Importance of programmes like Public Distribution System (PDS), Mid-day Meal Scheme, POSHAN Abhiyan and the role of Aganwadis and ASHA workers are also covered. Only a Swachh or clean India where toilets are used and open defecation free (ODF) status achieved as part of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2014, can eradicate diseases like diahorrea and become a Swasth or healthy India. The campaign will continue to cover issues like air pollution, waste management, plastic ban, manual scavenging and sanitation workers and menstrual hygiene.