New Delhi: Union Urban Development Minister M Venkaiah Naidu on Wednesday said Swachh Bharat Mission has gained significant momentum over the past last three years and 33,76,793 Individual Household Toilets and 1,28,946 Community Toilet Seats have so far been built.
Mr Naidu, who inaugurated the 9th foundation day of the Foundation for Restoration of National Values (FRNV) here, said 688 cities have been so far declared Open Defecation Free (ODF) and 531 of them have been independently verified and certified as ODF.
Andhra Pradesh and Gujarat have declared all cities and towns as ODF, he said.
Mr Naidu said 100 per cent Door to Door collection and transport of Municipal Solid Waste has been achieved in 43,200 wards out of the total 81,015 urban wards.
Addressing the gathering, Mr Naidu complimented FRNV for selecting ”Swachh Bharat” as the theme for its foundation day.
”The lack of cleanliness and unhygienic living conditions that we see in India today is a reflection of rapidly declining values and fading culture.
Mounds of garbage on the road, littering in public places, destroying forests, clearly reflect that there is complete lack of respect for others and basic human values,’ he said.
‘There is a need to radically change our perception of ‘waste’ as ‘assets’ or ‘resources’ rather than something to be discarded,” Naidu said.
‘Swachh Bharat Mission, launched in October, 2014, is the biggest ever mass mobilisation undertaken, to make our country clean,” he said.
During the event, Naidu also released a Souvenir, which contains the case studies on Waste Management.
President, FRNV, Dr E Sreedharan said Swachh Bharat Mission is more important than some of the economic reforms ushered in the country.
‘’Swachh Bharat initiative deserves all our support and assistance. Cleanliness shall start from our heart, our home and our surroundings,’ he added. (UNI)
