Ramesh welcomes Modi’s focus on toilets in I-Day speech
20 Aug 2014 4:11 AM IST
Congress leader Jairam Ramesh has welcomed PM Narendra Modi’s emphasis on toilets in his Independence Day speech and suggested collective efforts to end the menace of open defecation in the country.
‘I have been saying that making India open defecation free should be a national junoon, a national obsession. When I was Minister of Drinking Water and Sanitation, we had launched the Nirmal Bharat Abhiyaan and now Mr. Modi is taking that forward with his Swachh Bharat Mission,’ he said in a statement posted on his website.
He said it was indeed a formidable challenge to make India open defecation free by 2 October, 2019, the 150 birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. ‘But as a nation we must accept it and work collectively towards achieving that noble objective. The security and dignity of women depends on it. The nutritional status of our children depends on it,’ he said.
‘I have been saying that making India open defecation free should be a national junoon, a national obsession. When I was Minister of Drinking Water and Sanitation, we had launched the Nirmal Bharat Abhiyaan and now Mr. Modi is taking that forward with his Swachh Bharat Mission,’ he said in a statement posted on his website.
He said it was indeed a formidable challenge to make India open defecation free by 2 October, 2019, the 150 birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. ‘But as a nation we must accept it and work collectively towards achieving that noble objective. The security and dignity of women depends on it. The nutritional status of our children depends on it,’ he said.
Next Story
