Swachh Bharat Abhiyan
Swachh Bharat Abhiyan was launched by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 2nd October 2014. On the momentous occasion of Gandhi Jayantim by flagging off a cleanliness drive, the Prime Minister paid homage to the two great sons of Mother India-Mahatma Gandhi and former Prime Minister Lai Bahadur Shastri.
The Prime Minister. along with his cabinet swept the streets of the capital with a broom and exhorted people to fulfil Mahatma Gandhi’s dream of clean India. In spite of a national holiday on the same day, all government units and departments remained open and employees replicated the Prime Minister’s broom act in their respective offices. The same scene was witnessed at all government schools across the capital.
Through the campaign, the Prime Minister has emphasized that the work of cleaning India cannot be done by one person or government functionaries alone, rather it is a job that is to be executed by the 125 crore people who are the sons and daughters of Mother India. Prime Minister Modi urged people to realise their duty as responsible citizens towards keeping their country clean and not litter on the streets. The campaign then progressed the next day which saw various officers with brooms in their hands sweeping the corridors of Rashtrapati Bhawan. A multi-step campaign-the Clean India Mission or Swachh Bharat Abhiyan has successfully garnered the support of many famous personalities like Anil Ambani, Priyanka Chopra, Sachin Tendulkar and many others to clean public places and set an example for their followers to shed their callous attitude and inculcate the zeal to keep their cities and nation clean.
This cleanliness drive flagged off in 2014 shall be assessed in 2019, by when it is supposed to have yielded its desired benefits. Besides the sanitation issue, a clean India will reap enormous benefits too. A cleaner and beautiful country will attract tourists, lead to various hospitality and other services which will eventually result in the flow of income to the people. And lastly, it will elevate the image of India and its citizens amongst the other nations of the world; and instil a sense of pride in every Indian.
