Govt alone cannot make India clean, says President

Calling upon all Indians to get involved in the 'Swachh Bharat Abhiyan', President Pranab Mukherjee today said the government alone cannot do it without people's involvement.
Flagging off the mission here in Birbhum district, Mukherjee called upon the people to get themselves involved in the mission of making India clean saying that it is not possible for the government alone to accomplish the tasks of eradication of illiteracy, bringing cleanliness, keeping the environment green and maintaining ecological and environmental balance.
In order to attain these goals, involvement of the larger and the responsible sections of the society along with the government is very much necessary, he said.

Underscoring the importance of cleanliness, Mukherjee referred to a lesson he learnt when he was a student of Shib Chandra School where it was taught that in order to make one's own village look like a beautiful picture again, one has to keep his home and its surroundings clean.
He also cited the instances of Vietnam and Cuba where people's involvement has greatly contributed to attaining social objectives like removal of illiteracy and bringing cleanliness.
The President said if the non-governmental efforts are not combined with the government's endeavour, "we will not be able to make much progress.