New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday called for making 'Swacch Bharat' into a mass movement and linking it to economic activity to ensure greater participation.
Chairing a high-level meeting, he said all government departments will actively participate in the programme. Government offices up to panchayat level will be involved in a cleanliness drive that shall be carried out from September 25 till Diwali which falls on October 23.
'Mission Swacch Bharat' (clean India) will be launched on October 2, with Mahatma Gandhi as the inspiration, to create a clean India of his dreams by 2019, his 150th birth anniversary, a statement from the PMO said.
Modi said the pursuit of cleanliness can be an economic activity, contributing to GDP growth, reduction in healthcare costs, and a source of employment.
Linking cleanliness to tourism and global interest in India, he said world-class levels of hygiene and cleanliness are required in India's top 50 tourist destinations, to bring about a paradigm shift in the country's global perception.
If the people of India clean their homes around Diwali every year, why can this attitude not be extended to overall cleanliness and Swacch Bharat, Modi asked, calling for a change in governance attitude towards hygiene and sanitation.
He reiterated his vision of solid waste management and waste water management through the PPP model in 500 towns and cities across India. In his Independence Day speech, Modi had asked everyone to be a part of the 'Swachh Bharat' campaign and to make it a public movement rather than just a government mission.
The meeting was attended by Union ministers Arun Jaitley, M Venkaiah Naidu and Nitin Gadkari, besides other senior officers.
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