Stating that women had to suffer the maximum pain due to open defecation, PM Narendra Modi said that lack of toilets was an “insult to the poor” and was against “human dignity” and his govt made it a national issue.
“Filth and lack of toilets were never considered as a national issue. As a result, there were no discussions about it in society and it was like they made dirt a part of their lives,” he said at an event to mark the 10th anniversary of Swachh Bharat Mission.
The PM urged the citizens to make cleanliness a lifelong mission, instead of a one day ritual, arguing that the programme had a positive impact on public health and well-being of a large section of the society.
Pointing out that more than 60% of the country’s population was compelled to defecate in the open until 10 years ago, it was “disrespectful towards the country’s poor, Dalits, tribals and backward communities”, which continued from one generation to the other. He said women had to undergo the pain and faced threats to their health and safety as it was never a priority of the earlier govts.
With the mission becoming a mass public movement, more than 120 million toilets were built in the country and their coverage reached 100% from less than 40% in just five years of the mission.
Slamming the earlier govts for ignoring this critical issue, Modi said those who used Mahatma Gandhi for their political benefits and vote bank forgot his subject of interest and hardly did anything to improve cleanliness. He also recalled facing criticism after speaking about swachhta from the ramparts of the Red Fort.
He recollected how millions of people joined hands when the mission was launched, be it marriage or a public function or any other place, the message of cleanliness was spread effectively. Modi mentioned how women sold their cattle and mangalsutras to build toilets; few sold their land; some retired teachers donated pension and some retired Army personnel donated their retirement benefits for the cleanliness mission.
On the success of the mission, Modi said Clean India is the world’s biggest and most successful mass movement in the 21st century. “When people talk about 21st century India even after 1,000 years, they will definitely remember SBM,” he said.
