BHOPAL: Madhya Pradesh also joined rest of the country today in launching the 'Swachhta Hi Seva', a nationwide sanitation campaign highlighting the commitment towards a "clean, healthy and strong" India.
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan launched a campaign to construct toilets in Ratanpur village located on Sanchi road in Raisen district.
Chouhan's cabinet colleagues also took part in the campaign organised to mark the birthday of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
"The campaign has been started to make the villages clean. A target has been set to dig two lakh pits (for construction of toilets) today itself in the state under this campaign," Chouhan said while announcing that the entire Raisen district would be declared open defecation free by November 19 this year.
Chouhan said several works related to the cleanliness are being started on the PM's birthday.
"The cleanliness campaign started by the PM has become a campaign directly linked with the common people. Citizens of Madhya Pradesh are also participating in the campaign with enthusiasm. Under the cleanliness campaign, special efforts will be made till Gandhi Jayanti in areas where result has not been obtained as expected," he added.
On the occasion, Chouhan also flagged off the Sawchchta Rath to reach door-to-door in villages.
The ministers in Chouhan's cabinet also took part in the campaign in their respective districts.
Earlier, Chouhan attended a programme organised by the Indore Municipal Corporation on Modi's birthday. The prime minister has enhanced country's honour across the world, he said.
"Modi has changed countrymen's mindset towards cleanliness," he added.
Chouhan launched a campaign for construction of toilets in villages in a bid to curb the habit of open defecation.
Madhya Pradesh government has set the target to construct toilets in every household of the state by 2019, he added.
The chief minister stressed the need to create awareness against the use of plastic bags.
He said that the state needs to be freed from the menace of plastic bags as it also causes death of cows in addition to creating filth.