Modi said more than 60 per cent of the population was forced to defecate in the open a decade ago, which he called an insult to Dalits, backward classes and tribal communities, and a major source of inconvenience for women. Citing research, he said the mission is saving 60,000 to 70,000 children’s lives annually.A UNICEF report, he added, found that over 90 per cent of women feel safer due to the availability of household toilets.“Cleanliness is not just a one-day task but a lifelong value,” the PM said, urging citizens to treat their surroundings with the same reverence as places of worship.“The Swachh Bharat Mission has given a significant boost to the circular economy in India,” he said, highlighting that household waste is now being transformed into valuable resources. He mentioned initiatives to eliminate manual cleaning of septic tanks and revealed that the government is collaborating with both private and public sectors in this regard. “We are also encouraging professionals and startups,”he added, noting that around 5,000 clean-tech startups have been registered.At the event, he inaugurated projects worth Rs 10,000 crore under the Swachh Bharat and AMRUT 2.0 missions, which include water and sewage treatment facilities across states. “When people talk about 21st-century India even after 1,000 years, they will definitely remember the Swachh Bharat Mission,” Modi asserted, underlining the campaign’s lasting legacy.Modi also thanked industries involved in production of single-use plastics and political parties that backed the initiative. He noted that over 12 crore toilets have been constructed, with coverage increasing from less than 40 per cent to 100 per cent.
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