Rural Minister Bi​r​ender Singh launches Clean Mission in Australia to connect Indian Diaspora with Swachh Bharat Abhiyan

Sydney 23 August 2015: In a large community event Sh Birender Singh, Union Minister for Rural Development, Sanitation and Drinking water launched a ambitious project Clean Mission, which aims to connect Indian Diaspora world over with Swachh Bharat Abhiyan to improve rural sanitation.

Through Clean Mission members of Indian diaspora and international community can contribute to make rural Indian villages fully open defecation free.

Addressing the launch event, Mr Singh said, “India is a blessed country that it has its children across the globe and that they are willing to support their country in noble causes. Clean Mission, the overseas connection of Swachh Bharat Mission is just an extension of our Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s vision of having a clean country. I urge you all to join hands and come forward”.

“It is each and every individual’s duty to contribute towards improving sanitation and creating a cleaner India. We extend our full support to the Clean Mission Project. My government and I, personally see that in the coming times, there will be synergies and a wonderful partnership between Swachh Bharat Mission and Clean Mission to uplift the situation of sanitation in India,” he added. 

The project was launched by the group of community leaders based in Australia, US, Canada and Singapore.

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“We have gained and learned so much from our motherland and this is the time when we should try to give back. No child deserves to die in India due to such preventable diseases in today’s time,” said Dr Nihal Agar founder of Clean Mission.​

“The Indian diaspora, no matter where they are based in the world, feels for our country. We wish to contribute in some way to our nation. Specially, after the call from our Hon. Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi in his address to Indian community in New York and Sydney, it has been our deepest urge to contribute towards Swachh Bharat Abhiyan to improve sanitation facilities,” said Balesh Singh Dhankhar founder president of Clean Mission.

In rural India, over 5 lakh children lose their lives every year to diseases related to poor sanitation and unclean water, and this is the focus of Clean Mission. We select number of villages and make them fully open defecation free and improve sanitation awareness to combat this largely ignored issue, he added.