Swachh Bharat And Swasth Bharat Are Supplementary To Each Other, Says Prime Minister Narendra Modi On Mann Ki Baat

New Delhi: Addressing the nation on the 42nd edition of Mann ki Baat, a monthly radio programme, PM Narendra Modi stressed on a theme of ‘Swasth Bharat along with Swachh Bharat’. He said that both the initiatives complement each other, “I believe that Swachh Bharat and Swasth Bharat are supplementary to each other. In the health sector the nation has now moved ahead from the conventional approach. Earlier, every aspect regarding health used to be a responsibility of the Health Ministry alone. But now, all departments and ministries – be it the Sanitation Ministry or Ayush Ministry or Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers, Consumer Affairs Ministry or the Women & Child Welfare Ministry or even the State Governments – they are all working together for Swasth Bharat and stress is being laid on affordable health alongside preventive health.”

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PM Modi also pitched the slogan of his new initiative – ‘Fit India Mission’ and said government would take the requisite measures towards eradicating all forms of diseases from the nation and move towards new India.

A target has been fixed to make the country TB-free by 2025, PM Modi added.

Stressing on preventive health care awareness, he said an extensive work is going on to set up Health Wellness Centres across the country. Sharing numbers on Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, he added,

Each one of us took up the responsibility and the result is that our sanitation coverage in the last four years has almost doubled and risen to around 80 percent.

Till date, over 6 crore toilets have been built across rural India under the Swachh Bharat Mission and the target is to construct around 12 crore toilets and declare the country Open Defecation by 2019.