Speaking at the launch of Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban (SBM-U) 2.0, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said that the aim of Swachh Bharat Mission 2.0 is to make cities garbage-free while hailing cleaning staff as the real heroes of this initiative.

Modi also launched Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) 2.0

“In 2014, the countrymen took a pledge to make India open defecation free – ODF. The countrymen fulfilled this pledge with the construction of more than 10 crore toilets. Now, the goal of ‘Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban 2.0’ is to make Garbage-Free City, a city completely free of garbage.” PM Modi said that the journey of Swachh Bharat Abhiyan and AMRUT Mission so far is going to make every countryman proud.

The country’s target in the next phase of Mission AMRUT is ‘increasing sewage and septic management, making our cities water safe cities’ and ensuring that no sewage drains anywhere in our rivers,” he added.

“The achievements under the SBM prove how dedicated every citizen is towards his or her responsibility. Our cleaning staff are real heroes of this initiative. What the country has achieved through Swachh Bharat Mission assures us that how sensitive every Indian is for his duties, how alert he is,” PM Modi added.

Significantly, the PM said that the aim is to make cities water-secure and ensuring that dirty nullahs don’t merge into rivers, in an effort to prevent contamination of rivers that is increasingly becoming detrimental to the climate.

He further said that the second phase of SBM-Urban 2.0 and AMRUT 2.0 is also an important step in fulfilling the dreams of BR Ambedkar.

“It’s our privilege that today’s programme has been organised at BR Ambedkar Center. He believed that urban development was pivotal to equality. Babasaheb’s great emphasis was on changing this situation, on removing this inequality. The next phase of Swachh Bharat Mission and Mission Amrit is also an important step towards fulfilling the dreams of Babasaheb,” he said, adding that Babasaheb believed in urban development as a great means of removing inequality.

“Many from villages come to cities for a better life. We know that they get employment but their standard of living remains difficult even in villages,” he said.

These flagship missions will also help contribute towards the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals 2030.

(With inputs from ANI)