'Swachh Bharat Abhiyan' launched from Red Fort

Minister of Culture and Tourism Shripad Naik launched the 'Swachh Bharat Abhiyan' from the Red Fort here on Thursday.

"Prime Minister Narendra Modi has taken up the 'Swachh Bharat Abhiyan' as a mission to ensure proper hygiene and cleanliness in the country, with the active participation and cooperation of citizens of India," Naik said while speaking on the occasion.

"The Prime Minister has urged the countrymen to voluntarily spare 100 hours in a year, or two hours in a week, to clean up their dwelling, surroundings, locality city, town or village and maintain cleanliness. It is my privilege to be a part of this ambitious project," he added.

A memorandum of understanding (MoU) was also signed between the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) and the Ministry of Culture and Tourism on the occasion.

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