Dedicate 100 hours a year for cleanliness: PM Narendra Modi

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister NarendraModi on Thursday appealed to every citizen to pledge 100 hours a year towards cleanliness. Chairing the first review meeting on Mission Swachh Bharat, which will be launched on October 2, Modi said the drive called for making this a mass movement, linking it to economic activity.

According to an official release, the PM said that all government departments will actively participate in this mission. "Government offices up to panchayat level shall be involved in a cleanliness drive that shall be conducted from September 25 till Diwali," it said.

The PM also asked, "If the people of India clean their homes in due course around Diwali every year, why can this attitude not be extended to overall cleanliness and Swacch Bharat?" according to the press communication issued by his office.

Linking cleanliness to tourism and global interest in India, Modi also observed that world-class levels of hygiene and cleanliness are required in India's top fifty tourist destinations to bring about a paradigm shift in India's global perception. PM has also reiterated his vision of solid and water waste management through public-private-partnership (PPP) mode in 500 towns and cities across the country.

During his Independence Day speech, Modi had urged all citizens to participate in the drive to make India achieve complete cleanliness by 2019.