scorecardresearch
Thursday, Mar 28, 2024
Advertisement

In Champaran, PM Modi praises Nitish govt’s sanitation scheme, flags off first high-speed locomotive

PM Narendra Modi said the sanitation and cleanliness drive was a people's movement and it was the largest such campaign in any country.

narendra modi in bihar PM Narendra Modi was received by Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar at Patna airport on Tuesday. (Source: PTI)

Prime Minister Narendra Modi heaped praise on the Nitish Kumar-led Bihar government for leading the Centre’s Swachch mission. Addressing around 20,000 ‘swachhagrahis’ (volunteers of cleanliness movement) at the concluding ceremony of the Champaran Satyagraha centenary celebrations, Modi said, “I am proud of the fact that Bihar has shown its leadership abilities in this journey from Satyagraha to Swachhgraha.” The Bihar government had in April 2017 launched year-long celebrations to mark the centenary of Champaran Satyagraha movement of Mahatma Gandhi.

The PM pledged to fulfil the sanitation dream of the Father of the Nation and make banks of the Ganga open-defecation free. The PM also flagged off India’s first high-speed electric locomotive and laid the foundation stone for four sewerage projects worth Rs 1,111.56 crore.

PM Narendra Modi felicitates Swachhagrahis (ambassadors of cleanliness movement) with a shawl and Rs 51,000 cash award. (Source: BJP/Twitter)

Modi said the sanitation and cleanliness drive of his government was a people’s movement and it was the largest such campaign in any country. The Prime Minister praised Nitish Kumar for working to turn Bihar open defecation free and for building a large number of toilets in a short time. “Bihar has shown the most improvement in Swachh Bharat Mission and has built about eight lakh toilets in the past week,” Modi said.

Advertisement

Modi was received by Bihar Governor Satyapal Malik, Nitish Kumar, Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan and several BJP leaders when he landed at Patna.

READ | Narendra Modi in Champaran highlights

Speaking on the Ganga rejuvenation programme, the PM said eleven projects worth over Rs 3,000 crore have been sanctioned in Bihar to stop the flow of dirty and untreated water from homes and factories to the holy river. “Villages built along the Ganga coast are being freed from open defecation on a priority basis. Waste management schemes are being implemented in villages near Ganga. Soon, the Ganga coast will be completely open defecation free,” Modi said.

Festive offer

READ | PM Modi flags off three rail projects in Bihar, know all about them here

Taking a veiled dig at the opposition, Modi also said his government had stopped the culture of suppressing files, referring to the high-speed electric locomotive project. Modi says the project was approved as far back as 2007. “The files gathered dust for eight years after clearance. Three years ago, the NDA government started working on it and the first phase has been completed,” the PM said.

Advertisement

Earlier in the day, Modi launched a host of railway projects besides the 12,000 HP high-speed electric locomotive. PM Modi laid the foundation stone of a project for doubling of Muzzafarpur-Sagauli (100.6 km) and Sagauli-Valmikinagar sections (109.7 km). He also flagged off the first run of the Champaran Humsafar Express between Katihar and Old Delhi. Approved by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs in February 2018, the two sections – Muzzafarpur-Sagauli and Sagauli-Valmikinagar – are being built at an estimated cost of Rs 2,401 crore and will cover districts of Muzaffarnagar, East Champaran and West Champaran.

First uploaded on: 10-04-2018 at 16:39 IST
Latest Comment
Post Comment
Read Comments
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
close