Swachh Bharat Mission should become a jan andolan:Venkaiah Naidu

Swachh Bharat Mission should become a 'jan andolan' and not be seen as a government programme only, Urban Development Minister Venkaiah Naidu today said as he launched the Swachh Survekshan 2017 (sanitation survey) for 500 cities across the country.

"Prime Minister Narendra Modi has time and again made it clear that Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) cannot succeed if it is looked at as a government programme. He made it clear that this should become a 'jan andolan'. More and more people should be associated with the mission," Naidu said addressing an event to mark the launch of the Swachh Survekshan 2017 here.

The second round of the survey will cover 500 cities and towns, each with a population of one lakh and above, besides capital cities with less than one lakh population. It would also cover towns which are important heritage and tourism destinations, Naidu said.

The 500 cities to be ranked in this round of the survey account for about 70 per cent of the urban population in the country.

The last survey, released in Janaury, was conducted in 73 cities, each with a population of 10 lakh and above.

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"The results of the survey will help us understand the scenario of sanitation in urban India, the distance travelled since the launch of Swachh Bharat Mission about two years ago and the distance still to be travelled towards achieving the goal of 'Open Defecation Free' and Swachh Urban India," Naidu said.

Listing the names of people who made "extraordinary" efforts to ensure sanitation, he said one Kunwar Bai, a 104- year-old belonging to Chattisgarh's Damtari district, sold her goats to build a toilet.

The minister also cited instances of young women refusing to get married into households without toilets.

He said the logo of SBM has been taken from the glasses of Mahatma Gandhi who had said sanitation is more important than freedom.