Cleanliness is not a day’s job, it’s a lifelong tradition: PM Modi on 10 years of Swachh Bharat Mission

The PM’s statement comes at a time when the Swachh Bharat Mission-Grameen 2.0 is set to end in 2024-2025 and the SBM-Urban 2.0 in 2025-2026. “We have achieved much in these ten years of Swachh Bharat, but our mission is not yet complete. True change happens when every citizen embraces cleanliness as their duty and responsibility,” he said.

Hitting out at previous governments, he said those who had sought votes in the name of Mahatma Gandhi had not paid attention to his call for cleanliness. When the SBM started in 2014, about 60% of households did not have access to toilets. Now all had access to a toilet, he said. “Swachh Bharat mission is this century’s biggest and most successful people’s movement with people’s participation and people’s leadership,” he said.

He added when 21st Century India is discussed 1,000 years from now, the Swachh Bharat Mission would be remembered.

The PM launched the mission on Gandhi Jayanti day in 2014, with the aim of making India open defecation-free by Mahatma Gandhi’s 150th birth anniversary in 2019. The rural mission, SBM-Grameen led to the construction of over 10 crore toilets and declaration of 6 lakh villages as Open Defecation Free in 2019. Around 66 lakh toilets were built in cities, exceeding the target of 59 lakh.

The second versions of the missions were launched in 2020 and 2021 respectively. Overall, the two phases of the SBM have led to construction of 12 crore toilets, the PM said. He also said the mission had given a boost to the circular economy as the waste generated was being converted into valuable resources.