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In the last four years, Swachhata has become a mass movement: PM Modi

Published By : Admin | September 15, 2018 | 11:29 IST
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I welcome and congratulate all the 'Swachhagrahis' from the bottom of my heart, who have come from different corners of the country. This day, 15th September, is pretty historic in itself. It is historic because this morning has brought a new determination, enthusiasm and hope. Today you, me and the 125 crore Indians are about to reiterate the resolution of 'Swachhta Hi Seva' or 'Cleanliness is indeed service'. All of us will perform 'shramdaan' and make our contribution with a new zeal and enthusiasm to keep India clean, beginning from today up to 2nd October which is the birth anniversary of Respected Bapuji.

We have seen that even though houses are not properly cleaned up on other days, efforts are made to clean every corner of the house right before the festival of Diwali. Similarly, we should also strive to clean every corner of the country and this behavior must persist for every month and every year.

The cleanliness campaign or the movement that had started four years ago has now reached a crucial stage. I can proudly claim that every section of the nation, every sect, every caste,my friends of different age groups are pushing this great campaign forward. Not a single village, street or city is untouched by this movement.

India's coverage of cleanliness in 2014 was just 40%. It has increased to more than 90% as a result of your hard work and determination. Perhaps no one would have thought that we could make such strides in coverage of cleaning in just four years; something that couldn't be done in the last 60-65 years. Would anyone have ever thought that nearly 9 crore toilets could be built in India in the last four years? Had anyone ever imagined that approximately 4.5 lakh villages would become Open Defecation Free in the last four years? Had anyone ever thought that more than 450 districts would be Open Defecation Free in the last four years? Had anyone ever thought that 20 states and Union Territories would become Open Defecation Free in the last four years?

This is the strength of India and the Indians, the Swachhagrahis. The government alone cannot bring about a transformation to such an extent. Cleanliness is playing a crucial role in improving the lives of the people in terms of both health and wealth.

According to one of the estimates of the World Health Organization (WHO), cleanliness will play a significant role in saving the lives of 3 lakh people and accordingly to a study, cleanliness will reduce the instances of Diarhhoea by 30%.

However brothers and sisters, merely constructing toilets will not ensure cleanliness of India. Providing facilities such as toilets, dustbins and garbage disposal is just a medium. Cleanliness is a habit that needs to be inculcated. This is a Yajna of behavioral change in which every citizen of the country is making his/her positive contribution.

I am putting efforts to listen to your experiences related to 'Swachh Bharat Mission', learn from you and then all of us together will perform 'shramdaan'. Today we will get the opportunity to visit every corner of the country. We will also get the opportunity to know about the ongoing efforts there.

Once again I would like to tell my countrymen that the dedication, contribution, experience and cooperation of Swachhagrahis is commendable! The way the country's noted personalities have participated in this movement, allotted 2 hours of their day for this purpose and shared their experiences, depicts the manner in which the country's 125 crore Indians have projected this movement in front of the entire world.

In the future, whenever anything is read or written about this movement, the names of all the Swachhagrahis will be inscribed in Golden letters. I believe that just as the martyrs of the freedom struggle are respected and honored today, your contribution will also be remembered with the same respect and honor; you will be viewed as true heirs of Respected Bapu. This is because you have become a warrior of nation building, a savior of the poor and the weak and the credit of establishing the country's pride in front of the world also goes to you. The strength of the 125 crore Indians is unbridled and limitless. Our enthusiasm is on the rise. Our belief is at its peak. Our resolutions are ready for accomplishment and you all are ready to perform 'shramdaan'. My best wishes to you all. I bid my farewell to you as even I have to join you somewhere for 'Shramdaan'.

I once again congratulate you all from the bottom of my heart for your inspiration and hard work. I end my speech by saluting all the great personalities. Thanks a lot!

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Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi chaired the 11th Governing Council Meeting of NITI Aayog at Rashtrapati Bhavan Cultural Centre, New Delhi, earlier today. This year’s theme was Inclusive Human Development for Viksit Bharat@2047. It was attended by Chief Ministers, Lt. Governors and Administrators representing 28 States and 5 UTs. This was the first time when Chief Ministers of all 28 States participated in the Governing Council Meeting of NITI Aayog.

Prime Minister noted that at a time when many major economies are facing uncertainty and economic challenges, India’s growth story continues to inspire the world. He emphasized the need to further strengthen the nation’s resolve towards self-reliance and highlighted the importance of adopting and implementing global best practices, particularly in the renewable energy sector.

Underscoring the importance of cooperative federalism, Prime Minister stated that the Centre and the States must work together to achieve the goal of a Viksit Bharat. He stressed that the vision of Viksit Bharat should become the collective resolve of every State, district, block and village.

Highlighting the strength of India’s demographic profile, Prime Minister observed that the country’s youth constitute its greatest asset, with nearly 70 crore Indians below the age of 25 years. Calling this a demographic dividend, he urged States to focus on transforming it into a development dividend through education, skilling and capacity-building initiatives that prepare young people for future opportunities and challenges.

Referring to India’s recently concluded trade agreements with several countries, Prime Minister encouraged States to create opportunities for youth and MSMEs and to equip stakeholders to effectively leverage the benefits arising from these agreements. He also urged States to actively attract investments from partner countries.

Emphasizing women-led development, Prime Minister called upon States to work towards increasing the number of Lakhpati Didis from 3 crore to 6 crore and stressed the importance of ensuring a safe and secure environment for Nari Shakti.

Prime Minister urged States to focus on One District One Product (ODOP) initiatives and develop export-oriented strategies around it. He also identified defence manufacturing as an emerging sector where India is establishing a distinct identity and encouraged States to formulate policies to leverage the opportunities arising from its growth.

Prime Minister highlighted the need for coordinated efforts to address emerging social challenges such as drug abuse and cyber fraud through preventive measures, awareness campaigns and effective governance.

Prime Minister also drew attention to concerns arising from El Niño conditions and appealed to States to promote water conservation and encourage natural and organic farming practices. He noted that the purchase of 11 lakh tonnes of organic manure by farmers during the current Kharif season reflected growing confidence in sustainable agriculture.

Prime Minister emphasized the need to evaluate progress at the district level, particularly through aspirational district parameters. Prime Minister suggested that on similar lines, 100 districts should be identified in the field of agriculture to bring positive results. He urged the States to take lead in this pursuit so that a phenomenal change can be achieved through the aspirational approach.

Prime Minister emphasised the need for a monitoring framework and targeted 100-day and five-year goals towards achieving the vision of Viksit Bharat@2047.

Highlighting the importance of good governance, transparency, and infrastructure for attracting investment, he urged States to focus on branding, ease of doing business, and emerging opportunities in sectors such as data centres and artificial intelligence. He emphasized that AI should be viewed as an opportunity and called for greater efforts to equip people with the skills required for the future economy.

The Chief Ministers/Lt. Governors/Administrators congratulated Prime Minister Modi on completing 12 years in his office. They also expressed solidarity with the Centre to withstand the global geo-political crisis and to strengthen India’s resilience with respect to energy requirements, and sustain its growth trajectory.

Prime Minister noted that the discussions were constructive and reflected the aspirations, hopes, experiences, best practices, and challenges of the States. Prime Minister expressed his gratitude to all the CMs, LGs and Administrators for participating in the meeting and expressed confidence that Together, through cooperation, innovation, and a shared commitment to development, India can accelerate its journey towards a Viksit Bharat by 2047.