Aim of Swachh Bharat Mission 2.0 to make cities garbage-free, says PM Modi

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said that the aim of Swachh Bharat Mission 2.0 is to make the cities garbage-free.

Speaking at the launch of Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban (SBM-U) 2.0 and Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) 2.0, PM Modi said," In 2014, the countrymen took a pledge to make India open defecation free - ODF. The countrymen fulfilled this pledge with the construction of more than 10 crore toilets. Now, the goal of 'Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban 2.0' is to make Garbage-Free City, a city completely free of garbage."

PM Modi said that the journey of Swachh Bharat Abhiyan and AMRUT Mission so far is going to make every countryman proud.

He further said that the country's target in the next phase of Mission AMRUT is 'Increasing sewage and septic management, making our cities water safe cities' and ensuring that no sewage drains anywhere in our rivers."

"The achievements under the SBM prove how dedicated every citizen is towards his or her responsibility. Our cleaning staff are real heroes of this initiative. What the country has achieved through Swachh Bharat Mission assures us that how sensitive every Indian is for his duties, how alert he is," PM Modi added.

The Prime Minister said that with this second phase, the country also aims at sewage and safety management, making cities water-secure and ensuring that dirty nullahs don't merge into rivers.

He further said that the second phase of Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban 2.0 and AMRUT 2.0 is also an important step in fulfilling the dreams of BR Ambedkar.

"It's our privilege that today's program has been organised at BR Ambedkar Center. He believed that urban development was pivotal to equality. Babasaheb's great emphasis was on changing this situation, on removing this inequality. The next phase of Swachh Bharat Mission and Mission Amrit is also an important step towards fulfilling the dreams of Babasaheb," he said.

Narendra Modi further said that Babasaheb believed in urban development as a great means of removing inequality.

"Many people from villages come to cities in the aspiration of a better life. We know that they get employment but their standard of living remains in a difficult situation even in villages," said PM.

Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban 2.0 and Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation 2.0 have been designed to realise the aspiration to make all our cities 'Garbage Free' and 'Water Secure'.

These flagship missions signify a step forward in our march towards effectively addressing the challenges of rapidly urbanizing India and will also help contribute towards the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals 2030.