Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday (October 2, 2024) said that more than 12 crore toilets have been built and the scope of toilet coverage reached 100% from previously less than 40% in the country since the launch of the Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) 10 years ago.
Addressing an event to mark the completion of 10 years of the SBM, Mr. Modi said that more than 60% of India’s population was compelled to defecate in the open due to a lack of toilets until 10 years ago.
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It was against human dignity and disrespectful towards the country’s poor, Dalits, tribals, and backward communities as well as detrimental to the health and safety of women, the Prime Minister said.
Praising the efforts of safaimitras (sanitation workers), religious leaders, athletes, celebrities, and Non-Governmental Organisations in transforming the SBM into a huge public movement, he underlined the change in thinking brought about 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”.
Mr. Modi called upon State governments to intensify their efforts by implementing cleanliness initiatives at the district, block, village, and local levels and highlighted that projects worth about ₹10,000 crores related to cleanliness had been started under it.
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. “Just as we keep our places of worship clean, we must instil the same sense of devotion to cleanliness in our surroundings”.
The SBM or Clean India Mission was launched on October 2, 2014, to eliminate open defecation, improve solid waste management and to create Open Defecation Free (ODF) villages. The Central government launched the second edition or the SBM 2.0 in 2021.
Published - October 02, 2024 11:23 am IST
