Gujarat’s Chief Minister Vijay Rupani launching Statewide a fortnight-long ‘Cleanliness is Service’ programme in Gandhinagar on Friday expressed determination that the State would be completely free from open defecation by the upcoming birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi on October 2
Speaking at the function, the Chief Minister said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has set the goal to set the nation free from the evil of making toilet in the open spaces by the 150th Gandhi Jayanti, which is falling on October 2, 2019. Taking a frontal position in that campaign, Gujarat is determined to accomplish it in two years ahead, claimed Rupani.
He further said cities, towns and villages in Gujarat are modernising itself with the concepts of infrastructure development, smart-cities and ‘Rurban’ – a term coined by Modi to make rural areas urban facilities. ‘‘Thus, in such scenario it is necessary to change the mind-set of people for ‘Clean City – Clean Village.’ With the cleanliness, we must change the image of dirty, poor state and nation, he added.
To accomplish this objective, 3311 villages having population over 3,000 people would be having two separate systems from October 2 for disposals of solid waste and wet-dry garbage, which would be utilized for recycling and making compost fertilizer. The compost fertilizer would generate an income source for village panchayats and the local developmental works would get a new direction, he said.
CM Rupani urged that for the Indian dependence the Father of Nation Mahatma Gandhiji had given a slogan ‘Britishers, quit India’, same way we must adopt mantra of ‘Dirtiness, quit India’ for abolishing dirtiness from state as well as nation. He emphasized that cleanliness is directly related to health, therefore, it is essential that the mantra of ‘Swachh-Swasth – Gujarat’ (Clean-healthy – Gujarat) must adopted by the common-people.
Speaking on the occasion, Gujarat Governor O.P. Kohli pointed out that in his book ‘Mere Sapno ka Bharat’ (My Dreamt India) the Father of Nation Mahatma Gandhiji has envisaged his dream of clean India. To fulfill this dream, Mr. Modi had launched nation-wide ‘Swachh Bharat Mission’ (Clean Indian Mission) on October 2, 2014.
The Prime Minister had also expressed firm confidence that the citizens of India will surely fulfill this dream of Gandhiji’s in five-years, he said. Expressing happiness over inclusions of 12 cities of Gujarat in the 50 clean cities of India, the Governor said that every Gujarati must take more responsibilities to fulfill Gandhiji’s dream of ‘Swachh Bharat’ as Gujarat was his the birth place and karmabhoomi.
On the occasion, the Governor and Chief Minister had also flagged-off the ‘Digital Swachhta Rath’ (Digital Cleanliness Chariot), distributed dustbins and also administered the ‘Swachhta’ oath to the people present.
