Ahmedabad, October 2: Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on an official visit to his home-state Gujarat to mark the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, said rural India has been completely freed from the menace of open defecation. The announcement from Modi came as he told the public gathering that his government is on a record toilet building mission over the last five years. Amit Shah Urges People to Shun Single-Use Plastic During 'Sankalp Yatra' in Delhi.

"Today rural India and its villages have declared themselves 'open defecation free," Modi said as he addressed the Swachhta Diwas Programme in Ahmedabad late on Wednesday. "Today whole world is appreciating and awarding us. Providing toilets to more than 60 crore people in 60 months, building more than 11 crore toilets, whole world is amazed by this," he added.

Modi said cleanliness and sanitation was the dream of Mahatma Gandhi in the independent India. Over seven decades after the country's freedom, the nation is fulfilling his dream by ending the practice of open defecation, the Prime Minister said.

Modi further claimed that the battle against pollution, in all its forms, would be further escalated by India. Apart from ending open defecation, the end of single-use plastic is also on the agenda of the central government, he said.

According to the PM, India would completely eliminate the use of single-use plastic in the next three years. "Sanitation, conservation of environment and animals, all these things were dear to Gandhi ji. Plastic is a major threat to all of them. So, we have to achieve the goal to eradicate 'single use plastic' from the country by the year 2022," he said.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 02, 2019 09:31 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).