Wielding the broom, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday launched the country's biggest-ever cleanliness drive that is expected to cost over Rs 62,000 crore, asserting that the "Swachh Bharat" mission is "beyond politics" and inspired by patriotism.
Modi linked cleanliness to tourism and global interest in India and stressed that world-class levels of hygiene and sanitation are required in the top 50 tourist destinations to bring about a 'paradigm shift' in the global perception about the country.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed grief over her demise.
Modi felicitated Kunwar Bai from Kotabharri village of Dhamtari for her efforts to make her village open defecation free.
The expert said the mission "lacked a holistic human rights approach'.
Forced to cross the Nanoi, a channel of the Brahmaputra, over 7,000 people uprooted from their homes and farms in Darrang district of Assam now use the stream's muddy water to drink and cook and defecate in the open as `Swachh Bharat' toilets built in their villages are now guarded by policemen who do not allow them to re-enter any part of the lands they have been thrown out of.
Kuwarbai Yadav convinced 30 families in her village to construct toilets and end open defecation.
The King and the Queen of Belgium, King Philippe and Queen Mathilde, who are on a week-long visit to India, on Friday played cricket with Mumbai children and cricketer Virender Sehwag to advocate for children's right to play and learn.
In a bid to promote the ambitious 'Swachh Bharat Abhiyan' (Clean India Mission), Human Resource Development Minister Smriti Irani made a surprise visit to a government school in Delhi and participated in a cleaning drive.
Joshi's decision to step down comes a couple of days after Home Secretary L C Goyal sought early retirement, 17 months before his term was to lapse
Pakistan is far ahead of India in improving access to water, sanitation and in eroding inequalities for its citizens, according to a US university study.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday wielded a broom in New Delhi to launch his pet Swachh Bharat mission, a cleanliness drive across India, on the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti.
The logo, launched by Naidu and Gadkari, contains the spectacles of Mahatma Gandhi with the bridge of the spectacles in the national tricolour.
The prime minister lamented on the lack of unanimity amongst the member states on the issue of terrorism, saying it dents those very principles, that are the basis for the creation of the United Nations.
Speaking to the Indian community, he asked them to join the campaigns launched by Prime Minister Modi such as 'Digital India', 'Startup India, Stand up India', 'Clean India Mission', 'Smart Cities' etc.
The Swachh Bharat Abhiyan -- or Clean India Mission -- was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on October 2.
Highlights from PM Modi's Mathura speech to mark one year in power.
Gandhi asked the students whether 'Swachh Bharat Abhiyan' ('Clean India Mission') was working, to which most replied in a resounding 'yes'.
.jpg)
In his bid to make 'Swachh Bharat' a people's movement, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday initiated a chain by inviting nine eminent personalities including cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar, Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, industrialist Anil Ambani along with several actors to spread awareness on cleanliness.
© 2026 Rediff.com - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances