Swachcha Bharat ambassador and cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar on Thursday interacted with Swachchh Bharat Champion Collectors across 22 States, who have done exemplary work in the field of rural sanitation and led their districts to achieve an Open Defecation Free (ODF) status.
The Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation, in association with UNICEF, had organised the interactive session, where the champions spoke about empowering women and children through sanitation, and the role of all sections of society in truly making Swachcha Bharat a people’s movement.
Tendulkar, while congratulating them on their achievements and determination for making India Swachh and ODF, emphasized that “You either love your country or you don’t. Even as a common citizen, you can do your bit to keep your country clean by not littering, if you truly love it.”
He further added, “If every person in our country gives even 1 hour of their time every year, we can have a billion-plus cleaning hours every year!”
The master blaster also shared some of his fond memories of winning the 2011 World Cup and said that determination, hard work and wishes of people helped him achieve the goal.
“When that moment came in 2011, when we walked inside the stadium, I knew that we were steps away from achieving our goal. At that moment, we felt the good wishes of a billion people with us. The same good wishes of the people of our country are with you today, on your path to creating a Swachh Bharat.”
Secretary, Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation, Parameswaran Iyer thanked Sachin Tendulkar for his active role as an ambassador of Prime Minister Modi’s Swachcha Bharat mission.