‘Swachhata Hi Seva’ Campaign Launched

Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched “Swachhata Hi Seva” campaign on Saturday and took up a broom to clean a school named after Dalit icon B R Ambedkar as ministers of his government and BJP leaders and workers participated in similar exercise across the country.

In a nearly-two-hour video interaction with people from across the country, including faith leaders, Uttar Pradesh Chief minister Yogi Adityanath and noted personalities such as Amitabh Bachchan and Ratan Tata, Modi said the sanitation coverage in India has increased to over 90 per cent from 40 per cent in the four years of “Swachh Bharat” (Clean India) project, reports PTI.

Few would have thought that nine crore toilets would be built and 4.5 lakh villages declared open defecation free in four years, he said.

He launched the “cleanliness is service” exercise to push for greater public participation in one of his government’s centrepiece programmes launched on October 2, 2015 and it will continue till Mahatma Gandhi’s birth anniversary next month.

All sections of society and every part of the country have joined the cleanliness drive, he said, exhorting people to rededicate themselves to fulfilling the father of the nation’s dream of a clean India.

“Had anybody imagined that more than 450 districts would be open defecation free (ODF) in four years or that 20 states and Union Territories would be open defecation free in four years,” he said, calling it a historic day.

PM visits school without customary traffic protocol

PM Modi on Saturday travelled in normal Delhi traffic, without the customary protocol, and participated in a cleanliness drive at a school, volunteering for service.

“The Prime Minister travelled to, and from the school, in normal traffic, and without customary protocol. No special traffic arrangements were made for his visit,” an official statement said.

“We were not briefed about the Prime Minister’s visit. The traffic plied normal and there was no special arrangement,” said a traffic police officer.

SURAKSHA MEIN SWACHHTA

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh with Minister of State for Social Justice & Empowerment Krishan Pal during a cleanliness drive under ‘Swachhta Hi Sewa’ campaign, in Faridabad on Saturday