Clean India Programme: Sports Minister Anurag Thakur launches month-long nationwide drive

The Youth Affairs and Sports Minister Anurag Thakur launched a month-long Clean India drive on October 1, 2021, from Prayagraj as part of Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav. Nationwide Clean India Programme aims at getting rid of single-use plastic and other waste. It will also work in creating awareness, mobilize people and ensure their involvement in cleaning waste.

In the Clean India Programme, public participation will also be ensured apart from the involvement from various departments around the country. Departments including Panchayat Raj, Municipal Corporation, Youth Welfare, Health Department, Bharat Scouts, Forests and Guides have also been included in the campaign.

LIVE: Launch of one-month-long nationwide #CleanIndia Campaign by Union Minister @ianuragthakur in #Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh#SwachhBharatMission@BJP4UP
https://t.co/eIKg3MVgLY

— Office of Mr. Anurag Thakur (@Anurag_Office) October 1, 2021

Significance

While informing about the Clean India Drive, Union Minister Anurag Thakur said that it is the government’s resolve of creating a plastic-free India, an India of Gandhiji’s dream and as per the vision of Prime Minister Modi in which Swachchta or cleanliness is the topmost priority.

Clean India Drive: What will happen under it?

According to Sports Minister Anurag Thakur, the Clean India Drive will be the largest cleanliness drive in the world. He also urged everyone to join the drive with zeal and help achieve the goal of ‘Sankalp se Siddhi’.

In it, more than 75 lakh tonnes of waste, primarily plastic waste, from various parts of the country will be collected and further will be processed in a ‘Waste to Wealth’ model. The month-long Clean India Drive aims to propagate the mantra of “Clean India: Safe India”.

Key Details:

• Clean India Programme is being organised in 6 villages of 744 districts across India through the networks of Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan- NYKS affiliated Youth Clubs and the National Service Scheme- affiliated institutions. 

•  Union Minister Anurag Thakur will also launch Swacch Bharat Abhiyaan in a programme organised at the campus of Motilal Nehru Institute of Technology, Prayagraj.

What is Swachh Bharat Mission?

Swachh Bharat Mission or Clean India Mission is a nationwide campaign. It was initiated by the Indian Government in 2014.

The campaign aims at eliminating open defecation as well as improve open waste management. Swachh Bharat Mission is the reconstructed version of the Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan which was launched in 2009 but failed to achieve its objective.

The First Phase of the Swachh Bharat Mission by the Government of India lasted till October 2019 while Phase 2 of the country-wide campaign will be implemented between 2020-21 and 2024-25.

The objective of the first phase of the mission, apart from Open Defecation, also included the eradication of manual scavenging, bringing awareness regarding sanitation practices. While the second phase of the mission aims at progressing towards the open defecation-free status and the improvement in the management of liquid and solid waste.