Our oceans are our economy and no initiative can be successful without public participation, Dr Jitendra Singh, MoS MoS Science & Tech, PMO, said on Saturday at Network18 & Harpic’s Mission Swachhta aur Paani telethon.
Talking about the ‘Swachh Sagar Abhiyan’, Singh said not only did India have the longest coastline but also an ocean named after it, which indicated the foresight of our forefathers who knew the treasures such a vast water body would hold.
Talking about the initiative, Singh said the idea originated when he learnt of some groups cleaning up beaches in Puducherry. “We thought of kick-starting a similar initiative in the Amrit Kaal and started the Swachh Sagar Abhiyan on July 3. It was supposed to continue for 75 days and coincidentally, it culminated on PM Narendra Modi’s birthday.
“The idea was to clear 15,000 tonnes of garbage and plastic from beaches by the date but as we approached the deadline, we realised there was no plastic left on the beaches. People had come together from all walks of life to clean the beaches. Which is why I say that cleanliness has now become a ‘Jan Abhiyan’.”
The minister stressed that no initiative can be successful without citizen participation and whenever PM Modi kick-started a crusade, it automatically became a ‘Jan Abhiyan’.
Singh said unlike his predecessors who made lofty claims, PM Modi spoke about toilets for girls in his first Independence Day speech. Commenting as a doctor, he said common causes of diseases in young girls was because of lack of toilets and sanitation. “We need to clean to keep people healthy and take the economy forward,” he said.
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