"I will remain committed towards cleanliness and devote time for this... I will neither litter nor let others litter."
This is the salient point of the pledge that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will administer to the countrymen on Thursday, the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, while highlighting the Father of the Nation's thrust on cleanliness.
The 'swachta (cleanliness)' pledge is being administered amid Modi's intent to create a national movement over the next five years to realise the objective of 'clean India' by October 2, 2019, the 150th birthday of Mahatma Gandhi.
"Mahatma Gandhi dreamt of an India which was not only free but also clean and developed. Mahatma Gandhi secured freedom for Mother India. Now it is our duty to serve Mother India by keeping the country neat and clean," say the first lines of the pledge prepared by the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation.
The Prime Minister will administer the pledge at a public function here on October 2. Government has appealed to all government employees and the public to take the pledge likewise.
"I take this pledge that I will remain committed towards cleanliness and devote time for this. I will devote 100 hours per year -- that is two hours per week -- to voluntary work for cleanliness. I will neither litter nor let others litter.
"I will initiate the quest for cleanliness with myself, my family, my locality, my village and my work place. I believe that the countries of the world that appear clean are so because their citizens don't indulge in littering nor do they allow it to happen.
"With this firm belief, I will propagate the message of Swachh Bharat Mission in villages and towns," reads the pledge to be administered in government institutions across the country.
