- By Abhinav Gupta
- Wed, 02 Oct 2019 10:33 AM (IST)
- Source:JND
New Delhi | Jagran News Desk: Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who launched the ambitious ‘Swachh Bharat’ campaign in 2014, will declare the country open defecation-free at the Sabarmati Ashram in Gujarat today, on the occasion of the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.
In his packed schedule for the day, PM Modi will visit the Sabarmati Ashram to pay tributes to the Father of the Nation. From there, he will will got to the Sabarmati Riverfront, where he will declare the country open defecation-free (ODF) in the presence of over 20,000 village heads.
People associated with Gandhian institutions, high court judges, Padma awardees, students, educationists and village-level sanitation workers have also been invited for the function.
In February this year, news agency PTI had quoted a government official saying that over 4,000 urban cities have been declared open defecation free (ODF) under the Swachh Bharat Mission.
Addressing the joint session of Parliament on January 31, President Ram Nath Kovind had said nine crore toilets were constructed under the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, underlining that coverage of rural sanitation that was less than 40 per cent in 2014 has increased to 98 per cent.
The prime minister began the day with a visit to the Rajghat, the resting place of Mahatma Gandhi and paid floral tribute. “Tributes to beloved Bapu! On #Gandhi150, we express gratitude to Mahatma Gandhi for his everlasting contribution to humanity. We pledge to continue working hard to realise his dreams and create a better planet,” he tweeted.
In a short video on Gandhi, Modi said his message of peace is still relevant to the world community.
The prime minister also referred to the seven perversions Gandhi had cautioned people about. These are: wealth without work, pleasure without conscience, knowledge without character, visit without ethics, science without humanity, religion without sacrifice and politics without principles.
PM Modi also visited Vijayghat, the resting place of former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri, who also shares his birthday with Gandhi.
