By Our Correspondent
BHUBANESWAR: Marking the completion of 10 years of the launch of one of the most significant mass movements for cleanliness – the Swachh Bharat Mission, the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi today participated in Swachh Bharat Diwas 2024 program on the occasion of 155th Gandhi Jayanti on 2nd October in Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi. Shri Modi launched and laid the foundation stone for several sanitation and cleanliness projects worth over Rs 9600 crore including projects under AMRUT and AMRUT 2.0, National Mission for Clean Ganga and GOBARdhan Scheme.
The theme for Swachhata Hi Seva 2024 is ‘Swabhav Swachhata, Sanskaar Swachhata’.Union Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs, Shri Manohar Lal Khattar, Union Minister for Jal Shakti, Shri C R Patil, Union Minister of State for Housing and Urban Affairs, Shri Tokhan Sahu and Union Minister of State for Jal Shakti, Dr Raj Bhushan Choudhary were present on the occasion.
Addressing the occasion, the Prime Minister noted the birth anniversaries of Pujya Bapu and Lal Bahadur Shastri ji and paid his respects to the sons of Maa Bharti. Shri Modi underlined that today’s occasion is a source of inspiration to realize the dreams of Mahatma Gandhi and other great personalities in a collective manner.
The Prime Minister said that he is filled with a sense of duty yet he is emotional at the same time on the 2nd of October. Marking the completion of 10 years of Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, the Prime Minister said, “The journey of Swachh Bharat Mission is a symbol of the unwavering commitment of crores of Indians.” He highlighted the high public support garnered by this movement in the last 10 years and said that every citizen of the country made it their own mission – a part of their lives. On the milestone of 10 years of Swachh Bharat, the Prime Minister praised the efforts of safaimitras, religious leaders, athletes, celebrities, NGOs and the media among others in transforming the Swachh Bharat Mission into a huge public movement.
He also noted the contributions of the President of India and the Vice President of India, both former and present, towards Swachh Bharat in the form of Shramdaan, and thanked them for inspiring the nation. The Prime Minister highlighted the numerous cleanliness activities taking place today in villages, cities, and colonies, and also noted the active participation of state ministers, leaders and representatives. He informed that crores of people have taken part in the Swachhta hi Seva program in this edition of Swachhta Pakhwada, he said in the 15 days of Seva Pakhwada, more than 27 lakh programs were organized all over the country witnessing the participation of 28 crore people. Stressing the need for continuous efforts to keep India clean, the Prime Minister expressed gratitude towards every citizen of India.
Marking today’s important milestone, the Prime Minister highlighted that projects worth about Rs. 10,000 crore related to cleanliness have been started. He added that as part of ‘Mission Amrit’, water and sewage treatment plants would be set up in many cities. The Prime Minister underlined that be it the Namami Gange or the GobarDhan project of converting organic waste to biogas, will propel Swachh Bharat Mission to new heights. “The more successful the Swachh Bharat Mission is, the more our country will shine”, exclaimed Shri Modi.
The Prime Minister underscored that the Swachh Bharat Mission will be remembered even after 1000 years when a study on India will be conducted. “Swachh Bharat mission is this century’s biggest and most successful people’s movement with people’s participation and people’s leadership”, exclaimed Shri Modi. He added that this mission had revealed the true energy and potential of the people to him. Shri Modi remarked that for him, cleanliness had become a festival of realization of people’s power.
The Prime Minister recollected how lakhs of people joined hands when the Swachhta Abhiyan was started, be it marriage or a public function or any other place, the message of cleanliness was spread effectively. He said there were instances where old mothers had sold their cattle to build a toilet, some women had sold their mangalsutra, few people had sold their land, some retired teachers had donated their pension, some retired army personnel had donated their retirement benefits for the mission of cleanliness. The Prime Minister remarked that if the same donation was given to a temple or in any function, then it would have been a major headline in newspapers.
He added that the country should know that there are lakhs of people, whose face was never shown on TV or their name was never published in the newspaper, who had donated their money and valuable time to make this mission successful. Shri Modi said that all these instances reflect the character of India. Shri Modi highlighted that many people reignited the tradition of using jute and cloth bags while going to shop when he gave the clarion call to stop the usage of single-use plastic. He added that he was thankful to the people along with the industries involved in production of single-use plastic for joining hands and supporting the initiative. He also thanked the political parties which supported the initiative.
The Prime Minister noted the contributions of India’s film industry in the last 10 years in propagating the message of cleanliness in the form of films and underlined that such work should be carried out not just once but from one generation to the other. He gave the example of raising the issues of cleanliness around 800 times in his Mann Ki Baat program where people brought it to the forefront.
The Prime Minister noted the efforts of the people towards cleanliness today and said, “The path towards cleanliness was shown by Mahatma Gandhi during the freedom struggle”, as he raised the issue of neglect towards Swachhta by previous governments since India’s independence. He said those who used Mahatma Gandhi for their political benefits and vote bank have now forgotten his subject of interest. He said that filth and lack of toilets were never considered as a national issue. As a result, said the Prime Minister, there were no discussions about it in society and dirt became a part of life. He also recalled facing criticism after raising this issue from the ramparts of the Red Fort. He said, “Prime Minister’s first priority is to make the lives of common citizens easier”, as he underlined his responsibility to talk about toilets and sanitary pads. He added that its results can be witnessed today.
Pointing out that more than 60 percent of India’s population was compelled to defecate in the open due to a lack of toilets until ten years ago, the Prime Minister said that it was against human dignity and disrespectful towards the country’s poor, dalits, tribals and backward communities which continued from one generation to the other. Shri Modi noted the sufferings of mothers, sisters and daughters due to the lack of toilets and also pointed out the threats to their health and safety. He said that the filth caused by open defecation had endangered the lives of children and was a major cause of child mortality.
Remarking that it was difficult for the nation to continue in such a pitiful situation, Shri Modi said that they decided that things will not continue as they are. He added that this Government considered it a national and human challenge and launched a campaign to solve it and this was where the seed of Swachh Bharat Mission was sown. He further added that within no time, crores of Indians did wonders. The Prime Minister highlighted that more than 12 crore toilets were built in the country and the scope of toilet coverage reached 100 percent from previously less than 40 percent.
The Prime Minister underlined that the impact of Swachh Bharat Mission on the lives of common people of the country was priceless. Quoting a recent study from a famous international journal conducted jointly by scientists from International Food Policy Research Institute Washington, University of California and Ohio State University, Shri Modi said that it has come to light that Swachh Bharat Mission is saving the lives of 60 to 70 thousand children every year. He added that according to WHO, between 2014 and 2019, 3 lakh lives were saved, which would have been lost due to diarrhea.
Quoting UNICEF reports, he underlined that due to the construction of toilets in the house, now more than 90 percent of women felt safe and the diseases caused by infection in women had also reduced considerably due to Swachh Bharat Mission. Shri Modi further added that due to the construction of separate toilets for girls in lakhs of schools, the dropout rate had reduced. Quoting another study by UNICEF, he noted that due to cleanliness, an average of 50 thousand rupees was being saved every year by families in villages which earlier was spent as out of pocket expenditure to cure diseases.
Highlighting the public awareness brought about by the Swachh Bharat Mission, the Prime Minister gave the example of child deaths in Gorakhpur due to brain fever that were addressed with emphasis on cleanliness.
The Prime Minister underlined that the rise in the prestige of cleanliness has brought about a huge psychological change in the country. He mentioned the change in thinking brought by the Swachh Bharat Mission and gave the example of people involved in cleaning work who were looked down upon earlier. “When the cleaners got respect, they too felt proud of their role in changing the country. Swachh Bharat Abhiyan has brought pride to lakhs of Safai Mitras”, the Prime Minister remarked noting the government’s commitment to a dignified life and safety for Safai Mitras. Shri Modi endeavoured to eliminate the problems arising due to manual entry in septic tanks and informed that the government is working together with the private and public sectors in this regard. “We are also encouraging professionals and startups”, he added.
Highlighting the widely expanding scope of Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, Shri Modi remarked that it was not just a cleanliness program and today cleanliness was creating a new path to prosperity.
He added that Swachh Bharat Abhiyan was also creating employment on a large scale in the country and in the past years, many sectors have benefited from the construction of crores of toilets and many people were employed. He further added that many people like masons, plumbers, labourers were employed in villages. Shri Modi noted that UNICEF estimates that about 1.25 crore people were employed in one form or another due to this mission. He highlighted that a new generation of women masons was a huge outcome of Swachh Bharat Abhiyan and our youth were also getting better jobs and better opportunities through clean-tech.
He added that currently about 5 thousand start-ups related to clean-tech were registered. Shri Modi emphasized that many new opportunities were being created in the water and sanitation sector, be it waste to wealth, collection and transportation of waste, reuse and recycling of water. He added that it was estimated that by the end of this decade, 65 lakh new jobs would be created in this sector and Swachh Bharat Mission would definitely play a significant role in this.
“Swachh Bharat Mission has given a significant boost to the circular economy in India”, the Prime Minister said highlighting that waste generated from households is now being converted into valuable resources. He said that compost, biogas, electricity, and materials like charcoal used in road construction are being produced from household waste. The Prime Minister spoke on the success of the Gobardhan Yojana, which has been a key driver of change in rural and urban areas alike and informed that hundreds of biogas plants have been installed across villages under the Gobardhan Yojana where animal waste is being converted into biogas. He further added that hundreds of Compressed Biogas plants have also been set up nationwide. Today, several new CBG plants were inaugurated, and new projects were also laid out to further expand this initiative.
Addressing future challenges, PM Modi emphasized the importance of adapting to the fast-paced changes in the economy and urbanization. He stressed enhancing strategies to ensure efficient waste management to counter rapid urbanization and waste generation. He also stressed the need for the development of technologies in construction that promote the use of recycled materials and designs for housing complexes that ensure zero or minimal waste discharge. Shri Modi emphasized making efforts to ensure water is not misused and wastewater is treated before use.
Terming the Namami Gange Mission as a model for river cleanliness, the Prime Minister said that Ganga river is significantly cleaner today. He noted Amrit Mission and Amrit Sarovar initiatives bringing about substantial change and underscored the importance of continued investment in new technologies for water conservation, treatment, and river cleanliness. PM Modi highlighted the link between cleanliness and tourism, noting that clean tourist destinations and heritage sites can enhance the visitor experience. He said that it is vital to keep our tourist spots, places of faith, and heritage sites clean and well-maintained.
Reflecting on the progress made over the last decade, the Prime Minister remarked, “We have achieved much in these ten years of Swachh Bharat, but our mission is not yet complete. True change happens when every citizen embraces cleanliness as their duty and responsibility.” Prime Minister Modi reaffirmed the government’s unwavering commitment to the Swachh Bharat Mission and called for the continued participation of every citizen to achieve a cleaner India. He said that the mission of cleanliness is not a one-day ritual but a lifelong ritual and must be brought forward from generation to generation. Cleanliness should be an instinct of every citizen and it should be done every day”, the Prime Minister said. He exhorted the children of the next generation to not stop until India becomes truly clean.
The Prime Minister also called upon state governments to intensify their efforts by implementing cleanliness initiatives at the district, block, village, and local levels. He suggested conducting competitions for the cleanest schools, hospitals, and offices across districts and blocks. He said that municipalities must ensure well-maintained public toilets and that the cleanliness systems do not revert to old practices. He also urged local bodies to prioritize sanitation infrastructure and its upkeep.
PM Modi encouraged all citizens to take a pledge to maintain cleanliness wherever they are, whether at home, in their neighborhood, or at their workplace. “Just as we keep our places of worship clean, we must instill the same sense of devotion to cleanliness in our surroundings”, he said, highlighting the role of cleanliness in the journey toward Viksit Bharat. Concluding the address, the Prime Minister expressed confidence in achieving the objectives and exhorted the citizens to pay tributes to Mahatma Gandhi by following his principles with new energy and enthusiasm.
