Central Delhi under tight security for Thursday's 'Swachh Bharat Abhiyan' launch

The capital has been placed under strict security for tomorrow's 'Swachh Bharat Abhyan' campaign to be launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

"Buildings in and around Rajpath will be sealed from today, and police will be deployed wherever necessary, all the steps have been taken for security arrangements. Two metro stations that is one of Udyog Bhawan and the other one of Central Secretariat will be closed tomorrow," Joint Commissioner of Police (Traffic) M K Meena said here on Wednesday.

The ongoing cleanliness drive has so far witnessed the participation of prominent leaders from Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government including Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh, HRD Minister Smriti Irani, Water Resource Minister Uma Bharti, Home Minister Rajnath Singh and Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad.

Last week, Railway Minister Sadananda Gowda had announced a special cleanliness drive for all railway stations across the country on October 2.

The cleanliness drive is proposed to be implemented over a period of five years starting from October 2, 2014 in all 4041 statutory towns.

The total expected cost of the programme for over five years is Rs. 62,009 crores, out of which the proposed central assistance will be of Rs. 14,623 crores.

The Delhi Municipal Corporations are also geared up to run a 100-day cleanliness drive under the campaign as the Prime Minister Modi also urged the leaders of various organisations to take part in the drive.

In his Independence Day speech, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had talked of the 'Swachh Bharat' campaign and called for India to be clean by October 2, 2019, Mahatma Gandhi's 150th birth anniversary.