NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi wielded a broom in a New Delhi slum on Thursday as he pledged to sweep away India's reputation for poor public hygiene and rudimentary sanitation.

Hours after flying home from Washington, the energetic premier rolled up his sleeves and picked up a brush to launch a 'Clean India' campaign on a public holiday which celebrates independence icon Mahatma Gandhi's life.

“Gandhi gave us the slogan: 'Quit India' and people came together to win our country's freedom (from British colonial rule)... but his other dream of 'Clean India' is still incomplete,”, Modi said in a televised address.

The 64-year-old Modi, who came to power in May, has made public health one of the main priorities of his new administration and has already promised to ensure all schools have separate toilets for girls and boys.

A new report by the UN children's fund Unicef estimates that almost 594 million — or nearly 50 per cent of India's population — defecate in the open, massively increasing the risk of disease in densely-populated areas.

Modi said that the responsibility for public cleanliness did not rest solely with sanitation workers but required a change of mindset in a country which recently celebrated a successful space mission to Mars.

“It ('Clean India') can be achieved, it can happen. If we can reach Mars, then why can't we clean our neighbourhoods?”, he added.

As part of the campaign launch, ministers and civil servants were expected to take part in a mass clean-up on Thursday of government buildings, many of which stink of stale urine and are littered with rubbish.

Opinion

Editorial

Iran stalemate
Updated 02 May, 2026

Iran stalemate

THE US and Iran are currently somewhere between war and peace. While a tenuous ceasefire — extended largely due to...
Tax shortfall
02 May, 2026

Tax shortfall

THE Rs684bn shortfall in tax collection during the first 10 months of the fiscal year is a continuation of a...
Teaching inclusion
02 May, 2026

Teaching inclusion

DISCRIMINATORY and exclusionary content in Punjab’s textbooks has been flagged in Inclusive Education for a United...
Water vision
01 May, 2026

Water vision

WATER insecurity in Pakistan has been building up for decades as per capita water availability has declined from...
Vaccine policy
01 May, 2026

Vaccine policy

PAKISTAN has finally approved its first National Vaccine Policy; a step the health ministry has rightly described as...
Labour rights
Updated 01 May, 2026

Labour rights

THE annual observance of May Day should move beyond statements about the state’s commitment to the rights of...