PM Modi unveils Mission Amrit to make cities cleaner

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday announced the next step of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan-- Mission Amrit.

Announcing this on the 10th anniversary of the flagship Swachh Bharat Mission project, the PM said that under Mission Amrit, several cities will get water and sewage treatment plants to make cities cleaner across the country.

Under AMRUT and AMRUT 2.0, a total Rs 6,800 crore will be spent to enhance urban water and sewage systems in the cities, the PM said. In the same event, the PM also laid foundation stones to improving water quality and waste management in Ganga basin areas under National Mission for Clean Ganga with the investment of Rs 1,500 crore and 15 Compressed Biogas (CBG) Plant projects worth over Rs 1,332 crore under GOBARdhan Scheme.

Noting that over 28 crore people took part in more than 27 lakh events organised in just 15 days during the 'Sewa Pakhwada', the PM said the mass participation has transformed the campaign into a new path to prosperity for India.

An international study has shown that the Swachh Bharat Mission is saving the lives of 60,000 to 70,000 children annually, while a UNICEF report indicates that over 90 per cent of women feel safer due to the construction of household toilets, he said.

Additionally, the World Health Organization has credited the mission with saving 300,000 lives between 2014 and 2019 by reducing deaths from diarrhoea, Modi added.

Noting that about 5000 startups related to clean-tech were registered, the PM emphasised that many new opportunities were being created in the water and sanitation sector, be it waste to wealth, collection and transportation of waste, reuse and recycling of water.

The prime minister highlighted that more than 12 crore toilets were built in the country and the scope of toilet coverage reached 100 per cent from less than 40 per cent previously.