Swachh Diwas: 5 unmissable quotes from PM Modi's address at the Sanitation Convention at Rashtrapati Bhavan

On the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave a brilliant tribute to the 'Father of the Nation' on the final day of 'Mahatma Gandhi International Sanitation Convention' at the Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Delhi.

In front of many esteemed guests, which also included United Nations (UN) Secretary General Antonio Guterres, PM Modi highlighted the number of great things 'Bapu' did during his time, including the fight for a 'Clean India'.

Hygiene and Sanitation

At the beginning of his speech, PM Modi referred to a 1945 quote by Mahatma Gandhi while stating that cleanliness and hygiene is the most important thing. "While fighting the independence battle, Gandhi ji once said that he would prioritise hygiene in freedom and sanitation. He mentioned the important things in his 'constructive programme' published in the years 1945, in which rural sanitation was also a key section," the PM said.

Cleaning the dirt

The Prime Minister, while speaking about 'Clean India' also stated that every individual should keep their surroundings clean, and anyone who doesn't do it, is only accepting to live in such state of condition. "If something is covered with dirt and an individual sees it, but does not clean it, ends up accepting the situation. After a point of time, the dirt doesn't seem like dirt to him. In a way, uncleanness takes over the consciousness of an individual," he added.

Bapu's guidance

Praising Mahatma Gandhi for the implementation and sucess of 'Swachh Bharat Abhiyan', PM Modi went onto mention that the cleanliness drive began in the country because he got guidance from 'Bapu'. "I'll accept today that had I not understood the ideas and views of Gandhi ji so deeply, the sanitation campaign would never have been in the priorities of our government. I got inspiration from 'Bapu', which paved way for the start of 'Swachh Bharat Abhiyan'," Prime Minister said.

Defecation-free India

Highlighting the success of the 'Clean India' movement, PM Modi proudly stated that 25 states in the country are free from defecation in open. "25 States of India have declared themselves free from defecation in open," he further mentioned.

The 4Ps

One of the most important point during PM's address was the 4Ps. Before concluding his speech, he said, "I want to congratulate you for the fact that after this Conference of four days, we have all arrived at the conclusion that the 4P is necessary to make the world clean. These four mantras are: Political Leadership, Public funding, Partnerships and People's Participation."