New Delhi:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi today praised the NDTV-Dettol Banega Swachch India Campaign, a five-year ambitious program to address the rising need of hygiene and sanitation in India. (
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"I appreciate @ndtv & @SrBachchan for the 'Banega Swachh India' campaign, to address aspects related to hygiene & sanitation. @swachhindia," the PM tweeted.
"Scale of mobilisation & long term planning make @swachhindia a distinctive & definitive effort towards Clean India. Best wishes #swachhindia," PM Modi said in another tweet.
NDTV and Dettol have organised a
12-hour live televised Cleanathon today, which aims to bring together the entire nation towards better sanitation and hygiene. The event began at 9 am and will go on till 9 pm. Amitabh Bachchan is the campaign ambassador and the host of the event.
The campaign will also aim to work with NGO partners to support infrastructure for construction and maintenance of toilets. RB India kickstarted the 12-hour Cleanathon with a donation of Rs 100 crores that will be spent over the next twelve months to raise awareness and spread the message about the importance of sanitation and cleanliness throughout India. (
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Appearing on the Cleanathon, Gujarat Chief Minister Anandiben Patel said she "feels the pain of all those women who have had to defecate in the open."
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said that Gujarat has done a good job in 'Clean India' movement and we have a lot to learn from the state. (
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Meanwhile, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minsiter Chandrababu Naidu announced mission 'Swachh Andhra Pradesh', aimed at having a toilet in each household. (
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In October, on Mahatma Gandhi's birth anniversary, PM Modi had launched a cleanliness mission, called 'Swachh Bharat Abhiyan' or Clean India Mission. He swept a section of a street in Central Delhi and tagged nine famous Indians, urging them to set an example by leading the campaign in their cities. Since then, at a series of public addresses, including one in Sydney, the PM has asked that by 2019, for Gandhi's 150th birth anniversary, India should pay tribute to its iconic leader by ensuring his dream of a clean India is fulfilled.