Puducherry: “Swachh Bharat is not merely a waste-removal program. It is a social movement that changes habits. It is a movement that creates among the people the mindset and awareness that the places around us must be kept clean,” said Puducherry Lieutenant Governor Kailashnathan.
The Swachh Bharat Day celebration, organized by the Puducherry government’s Department of Local Administration, was held today at Kamban Kalaiarangam. At the event, Lieutenant Governor Kailashnathan attended as the chief guest and presented awards to sanitation workers who had performed outstanding service. He also released a handbook on solid waste management.
Chief Minister Rangasamy, Legislative Assembly Acting Speaker Anbalagan, Ministers Namachivayam, Malladi Krishna Rao, Rajavelu, Sivakolunthu, MP Selvaganapathy, along with MLAs and several government officials, took part in this event.
Speaking at the event, Lieutenant Governor Kailashnathan said, “Gandhi himself picked up a broom and removed garbage. He himself took a broom and bucket and cleaned the toilet. For him, cleanliness was not just the job of sanitation workers. It is everyone’s social responsibility. He believed that ‘just as freedom is important to India, cleanliness is equally important.’ He conveyed that cleanliness is the foundation of India’s true development — cleanliness is service.”
With the aim of turning that great idea of his into a mass movement, Prime Minister Modi launched the Swachh Bharat Mission on Oct. 2, Gandhi’s birth anniversary, in 2014. In 10 years, it has grown into a huge people’s movement. In the beginning, many people had doubts about this movement. How can a country with a population of more than 1.2 billion be made clean? Would India become clean if people engaged in cleanliness work for just one or two weeks a year? they asked. But there is an important truth we need to understand here.
Swachh Bharat is not just a garbage removal program. It is a social movement that changes habits. It is a movement that creates among people the mindset and awareness that we must keep the spaces around us clean. That is the deeper purpose of this movement. Today, we are seeing that change across the country.
Because the government vigorously advanced the Swachh Bharat Mission in the Union Territory of Puducherry, the municipalities of Puducherry, Karaikal, Mahe, and Yanam, along with ten commune panchayats, have today been declared open defecation free areas. Among them, the Puducherry and Oulgaret municipalities have received special recognition. If the Swachh Bharat Mission has been a huge success not only in Puducherry but across the country, the contribution of sanitation workers has been extremely important.
They acted as the ambassadors of this movement. If it were not for you, this movement would not have achieved such a huge success. It would have remained just a dream. Before we even wake up, they begin their cleaning work. They collect garbage. They clean the roads. They work with dedication, without caring whether it is rain or sun. I bow to their sense of duty and wholeheartedly commend them. He said this.