Highlights
- Vice President Venkaiah Naidu lauded WHO’s praise of the SBM
- The Vice President congratulated all the ODF villages, districts & cities
- WHO had said that SBM will avert over 3 lakh deaths between 2014 and 2019
New Delhi: The recent recognition by the World Health Organization (WHO) that the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan will be successful in averting more than three lakh deaths between October 2014 and 2019 has received praise from several corners. Vice President Venkaiah Naidu showered praise on WHO’s recognition of Swachh Bharat as an effective campaign in curbing deaths off more than three lakh people due to unsafe sanitation conditions. Congratulating Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, the Vice President took to Twitter, saying that the WHO recognition was a matter of pride for the whole country.
Praising Swachh Bharat Abhiyan for recognition from such a renowned body, the Vice President said that WHO’s praise of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan was a moment of pride for the country. Personally extending congratulations to those who have contributed towards the success of the Abhiyan, the Vice President said that it was due to their efforts that 1.8 lakh deaths have been prevented. The Vice President said that he was hopeful that the passion towards building a cleaner India will continue. WHO released the findings on August 3, estimating that 14 million Diability-Adjusted Life Years (DALYs) were estimated to be avoided between 2014 and October 2019.
"Congratulations to villages, districts and states that have been declared #OpenDefecationFree. Construction of 8,01,34,862 toilets is appreciable. #SwachhBharat will lead to Swast Bharat. That way it will become an empowered #Bharat." https://t.co/u8DNMCpywC
— Swachh Bharat I #AzadiKaAmritMahotsav (@swachhbharat) August 6, 2018
The Vice President also congratulated all the villages, districts and cities that have been declared open defecation free (ODF). Lauding the construction of over 8 crore toilets in four years, Mr Naidu said that a Swachh Bharat will pave way for a Swasth Bharat (healthy India), which in turn will lead to an empowered India.
"The @WHO praising #SBM success is a proud moment for us all. I personally extend my congratulations to each who have contributed towards the success of the SBM which helped in stopping 1.8 lakh deaths due to improper sanitation. I hope this passion continues in the same way." https://t.co/h38L9HW15n
— Swachh Bharat I #AzadiKaAmritMahotsav (@swachhbharat) August 6, 2018
WHO’s praise for the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan comes at a time when the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation, the responsible ministry for the rural wing of the sanitation missing, is busy with Swachh Survekshan Grameen, the national survey to rank over 6,900 villages on the basis of sanitation facilities. Several states have launched Swachh Survekshan Grameen, the survey for which will go on till August 31 and results will be declared on October 2. Recently, the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan also got a boost with more budgets being raised for the campaign’s expansion. The Union Cabinet approved the raising of Rs 15,000 crore as Extra Budgetary Resources (EBR) for Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, a move that is likely to benefit over 1.5 crore rural households.
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.
