New Delhi: The President of India, Shri Ram Nath Kovind, graced and addressed the Swachh Mahotsav 2019, a function held at Vigyan Bhavan in New Delhi today (September 6, 2019), organised by the Union Ministry of Jal Shakti. On the occasion, the President presented the Swachh Bharat Awards in various categories. He also received the Swachh Bharat Mission’s Book on Behavior Change Communication from Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Union Minister of Jal Shakti, who formally released it.
Addressing the gathering, the President said that the biggest feature of ‘Swachh Bharat Mission’ is that it has become a campaign of every Indian, not just a government campaign. Everyone has taken up the task of cleanliness as his/her own responsibility. He noted that Sustainable Development Goals set by the United Nations are to be achieved by 2030. But, India is set to achieve cleanliness targets 11 years ahead, that is in 2019 itself. He said that it is a matter of pride for us and every citizen of the country deserves appreciation for this achievement.
The President said that a new awareness has emerged in our society through Swachhta Abhiyan. He emphasized that goals of the next phase should be achieved while strengthening the success of the first phase. We have to pay attention towards the maintenance of the facilities set up during the first phase. He said that for this, we have to imbibe the culture of cleanliness more deeply.
The President said that we have to move forward, adopting the broader meaning of cleanliness. For example, providing clean drinking water also comes under the purview of sanitation. Cleanliness is also an essential condition for the success of ‘Jal Jeevan Mission’ launched by the Government of India this year.
