New Delhi: For effective implementation of its cleanliness mission, the government will establish a national centre at Rajghat in New Delhi to monitor the progress of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan. The Rashtriya Swachhata Kendra will be set up by the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation at the Gandhi Smriti and Darshan Samiti, Rajghat to monitor the progress of the Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM), Rural Development Minister Narendra Singh Tomar said here today.
Speaking at the culmination of ‘Swachhata Pakhwada’, a fortnight-long cleanliness drive, Culture Minister Mahesh Sharma said his ministry was considering providing space at the Rajghat for the Rashtriya Swachhata Kendra to mark the centenary of the Champaran Satyagraha.
Mr Tomar said the Swachh Bharat Mission was the top priority of the government and that it had become a national mission for the people as well. Since its launchby Prime Minister Narendra Modi on October 2, 2014, till date more than four crore individual household toilets have been built and 1.94 lakh villages and 135 districts have become open defecation free (ODF).
Apart from Sikkim, Kerala and Himachal Pradesh which have been declared ODF states, six to seven more states will soon be ODF, said Mr Tomar. The total budget for SBM has now been increased to Rs 19,300 crore with a central share of Rs 14,000 crore. Rs 5,300 crore is the budgetary provision declared by all government departments, Mr Tomar said.
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