Prime Minister Narendra Modi has called for making Swacch Bharat a mass movement in the country and linking it to economic activity.

The Mission Swacch Bharat will be launched on 2nd October this year to fulfill Mahatma Gandhi's dream of 'clean India' by his 150th birth anniversary in 2019.

Chairing a high-level meeting on Mission Swacch Bharat in New Delhi last evening, Mr. Modi said, all government departments will actively participate in this mission. He said, government offices upto Panchayat level will be involved in a cleanliness drive which will start from 25th of this month and will continue till Diwali.

Mr Modi said, the pursuit of cleanliness can be an economic activity, contributing to GDP growth, reduction in healthcare costs, and a source of employment. The Prime Minister said, if the people of the country clean their homes in due course around Diwali every year, why can this attitude not be extended to overall cleanliness and Swacch Bharat. He also stressed on change in governance attitude towards hygiene and sanitation.

Linking cleanliness to tourism and global interest, Mr. Modi said, world-class levels of hygiene and cleanliness are required in India's top fifty tourist destinations. He also reiterated his vision of solid waste management and waste water management through the Public Private Partnership mode in 500 towns and cities across the country.

The meeting was attended by Union Ministers Arun Jaitley, Venkaiah Naidu and Nitin Gadkari besides Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister and Cabinet Secretary.