Governors told to take the lead in clean India campaign

To bolster clean India campaign, Governors of States and Administrators of Union Territories were today briefed on the Swachh Bharat Mission at Rashtrapati Bhawan and told to take the lead to make it success.

Urban Development Minister M Venakaiah Naidu has made a presentation on the objectives of the Mission, physical targets and strategy for ensuring cleanliness in all urban areas of the country by the year 2019, commemorating the return of Mahatma Gandhi from South Africa.

President Pranab Mukherjee was also present during the presentation.

Naidu said that generation of awareness for behavioral change towards cleanliness and avoidance of open defecation is of foremost importance in the strategy for achieving cleanliness and urged the Governors and Administrators to take the lead in the campaign.
They could also review progress of the Mission in respective states and UTs from time to time and facilitate best performing urban local bodies, individuals and organisations, he said.

He said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has desired Swachh Bharat Mission to be made into a 'jan andolan' and several distinguished persons have been roped in as brand ambassadors.

Effective awareness generation would result in proper and full utilisation of infrastructure being built in the form of household toilets, public and community toilets, he said.

Under the Mission in urban areas, 1.20 crore household toilets and over 5 lakh public and community toilet seats are to be built in urban areas in the next five years at an estimated cost of Rs 62,009 crore.

The central government provides a grant of Rs 4,000 per each household toilet besides extending Viability Gap Funding for building public and community toilets.

Naidu thanked the President for including a presentation on the Mission in the agenda for the conference of Governors and Administrators.