Garbage mountains will be removed, promises PM Modi

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday launched the second phase of the Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban and the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation, asserting that these missions were aimed at making cities garbage free and water secure.

Under the new phase, it will be ensured that no untreated drain waste is discharged into any river of the country, Modi said after launching SBM-U 2.0 and AMRUT 2.0 at the Ambedkar International Centre here.

He said that the new phases of these missions are also an important step in fulfilling dreams of B R Ambedkar. "It's our privilege that today's programme has been organised at the BR Ambedkar Centre.

Babasaheb believed that urban development was pivotal to removing inequality," he said. Noting that many people from villages come to cities with the aspiration of a better life, he said they get employment but their living standard is often worse than in villages.

This is like a double whammy as they are away from home, and stay in such a situation, Modi said adding that Babasaheb's great emphasis was on changing this situation.

India is processing about one lakh tonne of waste every day, he said, asserting that garbage mountains in cities will be processed and removed completely under the new phases of the two missions.

The prime minister said that in 2014, people took a pledge to make India open defecation free and they fulfilled this pledge with the construction of more than 10 crore toilets.