New Delhi: "I will remain committed towards cleanliness and devote time for this... I will neither litter nor let others litter."
This is the salient point of the pledge that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will administer to the countrymen on Thursday, the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, while highlighting the Father of the Nation's thrust on cleanliness.
The 'swachta (cleanliness)' pledge is being administered amid Modi's intent to create a national movement over the next five years to realise the objective of 'clean India' by October 2, 2019, the 150th birthday of Mahatma Gandhi.
"Mahatma Gandhi dreamt of an India which was not only free but also clean and developed. Mahatma Gandhi secured freedom for Mother India. Now it is our duty to serve Mother India by keeping the country neat and clean," say the first lines of the pledge prepared by the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation.
The Prime Minister will administer the pledge at a public function here on October 2. Government has appealed to all government employees and the public to take the pledge likewise.
"I take this pledge that I will remain committed towards cleanliness and devote time for this. I will devote 100 hours per year -- that is two hours per week -- to voluntary work for cleanliness. I will neither litter nor let others litter.
"I will initiate the quest for cleanliness with myself, my family, my locality, my village and my work place. I believe that the countries of the world that appear clean are so because their citizens don't indulge in littering nor do they allow it to happen.
"With this firm belief, I will propagate the message of Swachh Bharat Mission in villages and towns," reads the pledge to be administered in government institutions across the country.
The pledge concludes by saying, "I will encourage 100 other persons to take this pledge which I am taking today. I will endeavour to make them devote their 100 hours for cleanliness. I am confident that every step I take towards cleanliness will help in making my country clean".
The recently unveiled logo for the government's five-year cleanliness mission also features the spectacles of Mahatma Gandhi.
Unveiling the logo, Urban Development Minister M Venkaiah Naidu had said cleanliness and India were like his two eyes through which he envisioned a clean India.
On October two, Modi has a number of programmes lined up to mark the launch of cleanliness drive.
He will visit a Valmiki colony where he will offer prayers at a temple and then undertake cleaning. He will also dedicate a public toilet there.
Subsequently, a programme will be organised at India Gate which will also be attended by Drinking Water and Sanitation Minister Nitin Gadkari and Urban Development Minister M Venkaiah Naidu.
