'Swacch Bharat' mission gaining ground nation-wide: Venkaiah Naidu

Hyderabad, Oct 9: 'Swacch Bharat' mission has caught the imagination of people, especially children and is becoming one of the most powerful people's movements after Independence, Union Urban Development Minister M Venkaiah Naidu has claimed.

Speaking here today after inaugurating an 'International Symposium on Municipal Solid Waste Management', he said, that's a good positive thing (catching imagination of children) and this needs to be further reinforced and consolidated to propel the people for action for cleanliness and hence intensive campaigns on different themes have been launched, the minister said.

"Swacch Bharat has been one of the major initiatives of Prime Minister and it is becoming one of the most powerful people's movement after Independence. I am happy about it," Naidu said.

"As a minister, I have travelled extensively in different parts of the country and met people from different walks of life, age groups and socio-economic groups. I have made it a point to know their mind regarding this mission. I am happy to report that the message regarding clean habits, keeping one's own surroundings clean has certainly reached all including young kids," he said.

"Several people tell me of their grand children narrating instances of how in their schools they tell each other not to throw chocolate wrappers and other waste in the open as Modi (Prime Minister Narendra Modi) does not like it.

Even my grand-daughter told me of 'Swacch Bharat' and Modi," he said.

"...one government at the Centre, state or one urban local body on its own cannot make it a successful mission. Everyone should get involved. Municipal solid waste management is one of the very important component of the 'Swacch Bharat' Mission," he said.

Venkaiah further said "cleanliness should become part of our life. There is a need for change of mindset because mindset in our India is "sab kaam sarkar karegi aur hum bekar baithenge toh chalega". This is the mindset and who is responsible for this...we politicians are responsible."

PTI