Government set to launch Rs 1,800-crore awareness campaign under Clean India Mission

The Centre will soon launch an intensive information, education and communication (IEC) campaign at an estimated cost of Rs 1,800 crore to generate awareness about the need for cleanliness and to bring about much-needed behavioural changes for achieving the goal of 'Swachh Bharat', Union Minister Venkaiah Naidu said on Tuesday.

"Cleanliness is not a one-day affair; on the contrary, it should be a life-long mission. Behavioural changes are critical for the success of the Swachh Bharat Mission," Naidu said. Swachh Bharat Mission was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Oct. 2 this year on the occasion of Mahatma Gandhi's birth anniversary.

The Urban Development minister noted that a clean environment contributes substantially to the GDP through increased productivity of human resources. Quoting a World Health Organisation study, he further said that the common man is forced to spend an additional Rs 6,500 per year to fight diseases caused by poor sanitation.

"Swachh Bharat Mission is about much more than building toilets. It is more about changing the mindsets and acknowledging the right of others to a clean and healthy environment," Naidu said on Tuesday after inaugurating two blocks of public toilets at two JJ clusters on Kali Bari Marg here.