Swachh Bharat launched in 2014 with national pledge and crowd-sourced symbol

On Mahatma Gandhi and Lal Bahadur Shastri’s birth an- niversaries, Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the Swachh Bharat (Clean India) Mission, casting cleanliness as a people’s movement rather than a government scheme. Addressing a large gath- ering near India Gate, Modi said cleanliness must be owned by every citizen, family, school, community and place of worship, not just sanitation workers. Framing the drive above politics, he saluted past cen- tral, state, municipal and social efforts, adding that the task now is to convert them into a mass campaign. Unveiling a crowd sourced logo Gandhi’s spectacles designed by Anant with the tagline “Ek Kadam Swachhata Ki Ore” penned by Bhagyashree of Rajkot, he said the em- blem is a moral reminder: “Through these glasses, Bapu seems to ask whether we are truly cleaning In- dia.” Setting a target up to 2019 (Gandhi’s 150th birth anni- versary), the Prime Minis- ter urged citizens to take a time-bound pledge: devote 100 hours a year (around two hours a week), refrain from littering, stop others from doing so, and begin with one’s home, street, vil- lage and workplace. 

“Through these spectacles, Bapu seems to ask whether we are truly cleaning India.”

“If we can reach Mars at minimal cost, can we not keep our streets clean?”

“Not I alone, not government alone—this is the work of 1.25 billion Indians.”

“This is not a political agenda; it is service to Bharat Mata.”

“I may face criticism, but I am prepared if it means cleaning Mother India.”

He appealed to media and citizens to document before-and- after clean-ups and nomi- nate nine others to keep the chain going, naming public figures including Sachin Tendulkar, Baba Ramdev, Shashi Tharoor, Kamal Haasan, Salman Khan, Priyanka Chopra and the cast of Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah. Linking hygiene to poverty, Modi cited the economic burden of disease from filth and sought CSR support to build toilets, especially separate facilities for girls in schools. With over half of rural India still practising open defecation, he called it a question of dignity and health, urging rapid construction and upkeep. Invoking India’s Mars mission as proof of national capability, he said a disciplined civic culture can make Indian towns among the world’s cleanest. He warned against politicising the effort: “This is service to Bharat Mata do not give it a party colour.” Concluding with a mass oath to uphold cleanliness and spread the message of Swachh Bharat, Modi said success will come only when 1.25 billion Indians act together: “Not I alone, not government alone all of us.”