Mahatma Gandhi's clean India dream is also ours: Mukherjee

Calling Mahatma Gandhi's dream of clean India "our dream", President Pranab Mukherjee said on Thursday that his vision will guide people to have a clean, green and self-sufficient 'Bharat'.

Inaugurating an international seminar here on "clean and capable India of Gandhi's dream", the president said the country has embarked upon two initiatives -- Swachh Bharat mission, to achieve a clean nation by October 2, 2019 to coincide with Gandhi's 150th birth anniversary, and Make-in-India campaign, aimed at enhancing the manufacturing capability in the country.

The president said that according to Gandhi, cleanliness has three dimensions -- clean mind, clean body and clean surroundings.

A strategy to achieve a clean state would comprise engaging the citizenry, addressing reduction of waste and improving waste processing, he said.

The Make-in-India campaign envisages turning Gandhi's dream of a self-sufficient and productive India into a reality.

"It (dream) aims at India becoming 'Samarth' on all fronts of economic development by facilitating investment, promoting innovation, fostering skill development and establishing best-in-class infrastructure," the president said adding that a comprehensive strategy was required to usher in a world-class manufacturing set-up in the country.