PM Modi urges citizens to join ‘Swachhata Hi Seva Movement’

Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the run-up to the launch of the ‘Swachhata Hi Seva Movement’ on Saturday, has written to almost 2,000 citizens, including former judges, retired government officials, winners of gallantry awards, and CWG and Asian Games medallists, inviting them to be a part of the cleanliness drive, official sources said on Friday.

PM Modi in his letter described the Swachh Bharat Mission as a mass movement that has ushered in a ‘swachhata revolution’ across the country and wrote that over 8.5 crore toilets have been constructed in the past four years under the Swachh Bharat Mission.

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Over 4.25 lakh villages, 430 districts, 2800 cities/towns, and 19 states and UTs have been declared open-defecation free.

The prime minister urged the recipients of the letters to support the mission and inspire others to do the same. He will interact with a cross-section of people from 18 locations across the country via video conferencing on Saturday as part of an elaborate launch event for the fortnight-long movement.

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The ‘Swachhata Hi Seva’ movement, which aims at generating greater public participation towards Swachhta, is being organised in the run-up to the fourth anniversary of the Swachh Bharat Mission, on October 2, 2018, which will also mark the commencement of Mahatma Gandhi’s 150^th birth anniversary celebrations.

(With inputs from agencies)