Shivraj Singh greets PM on birthday, says 'Clean India drive ushered in nationwide movement'

Bhopal, Sep 17 (IANS) Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Tuesday extended heartfelt birthday wishes to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his 74th birthday and hailed him for his contribution to the cleanliness mission in India.

The BJP launched a ‘Seva Pakhwada’ from September 17 to October 2 on the occasion of the PM’s birthday.

During this period, BJP workers will engage with various communities to address local issues and conduct service-oriented activities, including cleanliness drives across villages, streets, and public spaces.

Chouhan praised PM Modi for his dedication to the nation, highlighting his transformative impact on cleanliness and sanitation.

"PM Modi’s life is dedicated to the country," Chouhan stated, emphasising that the Prime Minister had made cleanliness a fundamental cultural and national movement.

"Swachta hi sanskaar hai, swachta hi seva hai. Swachta hi Ishwar hai kyunki jahan swachta hai wahan swasth hai aur jahan swasth hai wahan anand hai (Cleanliness is culture, cleanliness is service. Cleanliness is God because wherever there is cleanliness there is health and happiness)," he added.

Chouhan also lauded PM Modi for the Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) which was launched on October 2, 2014 and said, "Before 2014, cleanliness was largely neglected and received minimal attention. However, when PM Modi took the initiative and picked up a broom, it sparked a nationwide movement. This gesture evolved into a major campaign that has garnered widespread support. Today, this cultural shift towards cleanliness not only promotes a cleaner environment but also contributes to the nation's overall health."

According to a study published in the prestigious journal ‘Nature’ which was published recently, India's SBM may have helped avert 60,000 to 70,000 infant deaths annually.

The research, titled “Toilet Construction under the Swachh Bharat Mission and Infant Mortality in India,” was conducted by a team of five researchers.

SBM was the world’s largest sanitation initiative, aimed at making India ‘open defecation free’ by 2020.

Over the last six years, the programme has facilitated the construction of over 100 million household toilets and declared more than 600,000 villages ‘open defecation free.’

The study analysed data from 35 states and 640 districts over a decade (2011–2020).

The study estimates that increased toilet access under SBM contributed to the prevention of 60,000 to 70,000 infant deaths annually.

Specifically, each 10-percentage point increase in district-level toilet access was associated with reductions of 0.9 points in Infant Mortality Rates (IMR) and 1.1 points in Under-5 Mortality Rates (U5MR).

The study also highlights that improved water and sanitation conditions can reduce infant mortality, especially in countries like India with high rates of open defecation. It underscores SBM’s effectiveness in enhancing child health outcomes and calls for similar sanitation initiatives in other low and middle-income countries.