Mass mobilization programmes for sanitation awareness taken up across the country

                Rallies, shramadan, village and ward level meetings were organized today in rural and urban areas across the county for further sensitizing the people about cleanliness on the first day of Swachh Bharat Week.

                Minister of Urban Development Shri M.Venkaiah Naidu, Minister of Drinking Water & Sanitation Shri Narendra Singh Tomar and Minister of Railways Shri Suresh Prabhu launched the Swachh Bharat Week at Kozhikode Railway Station in Kerala. Members of National Service Scheme (NSS) and public took out a rally in Kozhikode.

                Swachh Bharat Week is being celebrated from today i.e birth anniversary of ‘Antyodaya’ advocate late Shri Deendayal Upadhyaya and will continue till Ocotber 2,2016 i.e the birth anniversary of Father of Nation Mahatma Gandhi, who voiced serious concerns about poor sanitation and its consequences, 100 years ago while speaking at the Benares Hindu University, Varanasi.

                Ministry of Drinking Water & Sanitation has drawn up elaborate action plans for the week for rural areas while the Ministry of Urban Development did so for urban areas of the country, centred around celebration of more and more villages, districts and cities becoming Open Defecation Free.

                Minister of Drinking Water & Sanitation Shri Narendra Singh Tomar will launch Audio-Visual Campaign in New Delhi featuring Shri  Amitabh Bachhan and Shri Sachin Tendulkar, both Swachh Ambassadors nominated by Prime Minister. This campaign seeks ‘behavioral change’ among the people for using toilets and eliminating open defecation.

                On the first day of Swachh Bharat Week today, Swacchagrahis (volunteer Swachh Bharat Dhoots) with support from Self-Help Groups and  NGOs took up awareness generation programmes at major open defecation areas in different cities and towns.

                In Gujarat, Kadodara and Mandvi towns have been declared Open Defecation Free with Quality Council of India (QCI) presenting third party verification certificates in support of ODF claims by these towns after due verification, as per the Protocol evolved by the Ministry of Urban Development.

                Prime Minister will inaugurate a day long INDOSAN (India Sanitation Conference) in New Delhi on the 30^th of this month. Union Ministers, Chief Ministers, Ministers from States, elected representatives of people, District Collectors, Municipal Commissioners of 500 AMRUT cities, representatives of private sector and NGOs will participate in the day long brainstorming on the achievements of the last two years and challenges ahead in making ‘Swachh Bharat’ by 2019.

Minister of Drinking Water & Sanitation Shri Narendra Singh Tomar, Minister of Urban Development Shri M.Venkaiah Naidu and Minister of Railways Shri Suresh Prabhu launching Swachh Bharat Week by flagging off an awareness rally at Kozhikode, Kerala on September 25,2016.

Courtesy – Press Information Bureau, Government of India