Mahatma Gandhi's dream of Swachh Bharat coming true under PM Modi: Gadkari

Union Minister Nitin Gadkari on Wednesday attended the 'Swachhata Bharat Abhiyan' in Nagpur on the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti and praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for promoting the programme all over the country.

Mahatma Gandhi was born in Gujarat on October 2, 1869.

"Swachhata Abhiyan has played a big role in making the life of the common man sustainable...Pure water, pure air, and pesticide-free vegetables can play a big role in keeping us healthy. 'Swachhata Abhiyan' is getting huge support from the public. Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji, the 'Swachh Bharat' dream of the Father of the Nation. Mahatma Gandhi, is coming true," Gadkari said.

 

Earlier today, Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw attended the Swacchta Abhiyan programme held at Garden Reach in West Bengal's Kolkata and paid tributes to Gandhi ji on his 155th birth anniversay. Union Minister Sukanta Majumdar was also present.

Extending his wishes to the people on the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, Vaishnaw added that it was also the beginning of 'Devi Paksha'.

"Today is the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi and also the beginning of 'Devi Paksha'. 'Swacchta Abhiyan' is being celebrated across the country, so we need to ensure that cleanliness is maintained everywhere," Vaishnaw said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi participated in a cleanliness drive with schoolchildren on 10 years of the 'Swacchata Hi Seva" campaign. He said that the 'Swachh Bharat Mission' is the world's biggest and most successful movement of this century, which will be remembered by the people even after many years.

The Prime Minister said that the Swachh Bharat Mission has reflected the energy of the people through the demonstration of public participation and public leadership.

"The Swachh Bharat Mission is a symbol of the selfless commitment of crores of Indians, and in the last 10 years, crores of Indians have adopted this mission and made it a part of their lives," PM Modi said.

Union minister Nitin Gadkari suggested photos of people spitting on roads after eating pan masala should be clicked and published in newspapers for the public to see.

"People are very smart. After eating chocolates, they discard the wrapper immediately. However, when they visit foreign countries, they put the chocolate cover in their pocket after eating it. They behave nicely abroad," he said.

In the past, I had this habit of throwing away the chocolate wrapper outside the car. Today, when I eat chocolate, I take its wrapper home and throw it in the dustbin, he added.

Raising the issue of cleanliness in public places, Gadkari said photos of people who spit on the road after eating pan masala should be clicked and published in newspapers for the public to see.

"Mahatma Gandhiji did such experiments," he claimed.

The Nagpur MP also pitched for converting waste into wealth and suggested initiatives wherein waste was converted into bioproducts.