To fulfill Mahatma Gandhi’s dream of a ‘Clean India’, the centre launched its ambitious project Swachh Bharat Abhiyan on October 2, 2014. Three years later, six states, 214 districts and more than 2 and half lakh villages have achieved 100 per cent sanitation thereby attaining the title of open defecation free. On third anniversary of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan and as a tribute to Mahatma Gandhi’s vision of India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today highlighted the achievements of the Clean India campaign. From underlining the role of women and children in the swachhta campaign, quoting a UNICEF sanitation report to labelling the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan as people’s movement, Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke about several issues in his speech at Vigyan Bhavan in New Delhi:
During the Rashtriya Swachhta Diwas celebrations, the Prime Minister gave out awards to the young guns who participated in painting and essay writing competitions organised as part of the Swachhata Hi Seva campaign. Awards were also given to the citizens who came up with innovative ways to manage waste.
10 Things Prime Minister Said On Rashtriya Swachhta Diwas
- Everyone should dedicate themselves towards a clean India as a tribute to Mahatma Gandhi and Lal Bahadur Shastri”
- Swachh Bharat Mission is about both ‘Vyavastha’ (systems) and ‘Vichar’ (thought process and mindset).
- The dream of a Swachh Bharat will be realised by 125 crore Indians, not a select group of leaders or officials”
- India has accepted the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan and has turned it into a people’s movement due to the ‘Siddhi’ of Swachhagrahis
- According to a UNICEF report, a survey of 10,000 households found that each household without a toilet ends up spending Rs 50,000 annually on medical and other health issues.
- Till we see the issue of swachhta from the eyes of women, we won’t be able to realise its importance.
- Cleanliness is something we all desire. Even when we’re busy doing other things, we subconsciously look out for cleanliness. Therefore it is a natural instinct for us to be clean and want cleanliness”
- India faces challenges in terms of sanitation coverage but that does not mean we run away from these. We will face them and work to overcome these challenges.
- Children are the biggest Swachh ambassadors”
- A positive spirit of competition has been created due to Swachh Bharat Mission. We see this in the cleanliness rankings and how organisations are working on cleanliness to improve their rankings”
Also Read: Prime Minister Narendra Modi Lauds Banega Swachh India’s 12-Hour Cleanathon On Gandhi Jayanti
