New Delhi:

 A nationwide cleanliness drive conducted on October 1 in response to an appeal by Prime Minister Narendra Modi saw the participation of 8.75 crore people at over nine lakh sites across the country, the Union Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry said on Tuesday.

On the eve of Gandhi Jayanti, PM Modi pitched for blending fitness and well-being with cleanliness as he led a nationwide cleanliness drive which saw the participation of people in large numbers.

“The mega cleanliness drive across the nation got an impetus with sanitation being the great unifier for the nation, transcending panchayats, municipalities, districts and state boundaries,” the HUA ministry in a statement.

According to it, many governors, chief ministers, local political leaders, thousands of civil society organisations and the public took part in the cleanliness drive.

In a recent episode of the monthly ‘Mann ki Baat’ broadcast, PM Modi appealed to all citizens for “one hour of shramdaan (voluntary labour) for swachhata” on October 1 and said it would be a “Swachhanjali” to Mahatma Gandhi on the eve of his birth anniversary.

The ministry said that this collective action of people certainly resulted in visible cleanliness in all sites. In the nine years of the Swachh Bharat Mission, people have come together on numerous occasions, highlighting the strength of collective efforts, it said.

“An effort of this kind with such a large number of people coming together for an hour for a single cause to offer voluntary effort for a cleaner nation, is certainly one of its kind,” it said.

As the journey continues under Swachh Bharat Mission-2.0, this kind of collective action will certainly boost the strength of action for ‘Garbage-Free Cities’ by 2026 by adoption of scientific waste management and remediation of legacy dumpsites, it added.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi led from the front as thousands of people across the country participated in an hour-long cleanliness drive today ahead of Gandhi Jayanti.

PM Modi took part in the drive along with fitness influencer Ankit Baiyanpuriya, getting fitness and well-being into the mix too.

Sharing the video on his official X account, PM Modi wrote, “Today, as the nation focuses on Swachhata, Ankit Baiyanpuriya and I did the same! Beyond just cleanliness, we blended fitness and well-being also into the mix. It is all about that Swachh and Swasth Bharat vibe.”

Today, as the nation focuses on Swachhata, Ankit Baiyanpuriya and I did the same! Beyond just cleanliness, we blended fitness and well-being also into the mix. It is all about that Swachh and Swasth Bharat vibe! @baiyanpuriapic.twitter.com/gwn1SgdR2C

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) October 1, 2023

Besides PM Modi, several other BJP leaders, including Union ministers, took up cleanliness programmes in different parts of the country.

Home Minister Amit Shah participated in Ahmedabad while BJP chief JP Nadda did so in Delhi.

In a recent episode of “Mann Ki Baat”, PM Modi had appealed for “one hour of shramdaan for swachhata” on October 1 by all citizens and said it would be a “Swachhanjali” to Mahatma Gandhi on the eve of his birth anniversary.

Cricketers such as Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma also appealed to the people to come together for “Ek Tareekh, Ek Ghanta, Ek Saath” and join the largest citizen-led movement to strengthen the resolve towards cleanliness.