PM Modi launches 2nd phase of Swachh Bharat
Prime Minister Narendra Modi
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday launched the second phase of Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban and Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) aimed at making all Indian cities garbage-free and water-secure.
The aim of Swachh Bharat Mission 2.0 is to make the cities, garbage-free. "With this second phase, we are aiming to achieve sewage and safety management, making cities water-secure and ensuring that dirty nullahs don't merge into rivers," Modi said at the launch of the Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban 2.0 and AMRUT 2.0.
India was processing about one lakh tonne of waste every day and the garbage mountains in cities would be processed and removed completely in the new phases, the Prime Minister said. "One such garbage mountain has been in Delhi for long, it's also waiting to be removed," Modi said.
The new phases were an important step towards fulfilling the dreams of BR Ambedkar, he said as launched the schemes at New Delhi's Ambedkar International Centre. "It's our privilege that today's programme has been organised at the BR Ambedkar Centre.
Babasaheb believed that urban development was pivotal to removing inequality," Modi said. The young, too, were doing their bit to strengthen the cleanliness initiative. "Toffee wrappers are no longer thrown on the ground but kept in pockets.
Small children now urge the elders not to litter," he said. "The youth are taking initiative. Some are earning wealth from waste, while some are creating awareness. There is segregation of dry and wet waste, there's awareness.
Swachh Bharat Mission (Clean India mission) succeeded not only because lakhs of toilets were built or waste processing was raised to 70 percent "but also because PM Modi made this project into a 'Jan Andolan'", Union Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said.
These flagship programmes signify a step forward in march towards effectively addressing the challenges of rapidly urbanising India and would also help towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals 2030, a statement from the prime minister's office had said on September 30.