Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said that when the country comes together on one thought, even the impossible becomes possible. ‘Swachh Bharat Mission’ is the biggest example of this, he stated, and stressed that soon this mission will complete 11 years, but its strength and its need are still the same.
”In these 11 years, ‘Swachh Bharat Mission’ has become a mass movement. People consider it their duty, and this is real public participation,” PM Modi said in his address in the 124th Episode of ‘Mann Ki Baat’.
He said the Swachh Survey, conducted every year, has lifted this feeling further.
”This year, more than 4500 cities and towns of the country joined it. More than 15 crore people participated in it. This is not an ordinary number. This is the voice of Swachh Bharat,” he noted.
PM Modi said when it comes to cleanliness, cities and towns are working in different ways according to their needs and surroundings, adding that their impact is not just limited to these cities; the whole country is adopting these methods.
Giving an example, he said the people of Kirtinagar in Uttarakhand are setting a new example of waste management in the hills.
”Similarly, organic waste management is being done with the help of technology in Mangaluru. There is a small city called Roing in Arunachal. There was a time when waste management was a big challenge confronting the health of the people there. The people there took responsibility for it. ‘Green Roing Initiative’ was started, and then an entire park was created from recycled waste. Similarly, many new examples of water management have been set in Karad; in Vijayawada. The cleanliness at the RiverFront in Ahmedabad has also caught everyone’s attention.”
He further shared that a team in Bhopal is called ‘Sakaratmak Soch’, which comprises 200 women.
”They don’t just clean, they also change mindsets. Cleaning 17 parks in the city together, distributing cloth bags, every step of theirs is a message. Owing to such efforts, Bhopal has now come a long way in the Swachh Survey. It is also important to mention the Gomti River team of Lucknow. Every Sunday for the last 10 years, tirelessly, without stopping, the members of this team are engaged in the cleanliness work.”
Another example PM Modi shared in his radio programme was of Bilha in Chhattisgarh.
”Here, women were imparted training in waste management, and together, they changed the face of the city. The example of Panaji city in Goa is also inspiring. There, waste is divided into 16 categories, and that is also being led by women. Panaji has even received the President’s award.”
He stressed that cleanliness is not a one-time, one-day task. ”Only when we accord priority to cleanliness every day, every moment of the year, will the country remain clean,” he noted.
The PM greeted the people of the country for the festival Hariyali Teej today, and also the upcoming ones — Nag Panchami and Raksha Bandhan, and Janmashtami.
He stated that ”all these festivities are connected to our emotions here, they also give us the message of connection and balance with nature. Many best wishes to all of you for these holy festivals.”