8.5 lakh toilets built in Bihar in one week: PM Modi in Champaran

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday reached Motihari in Bihar in the concluding ceremony of the Champaran Satyagraha centenary celebrations at Motihari. Titled "Satyagrah se Swachhagrah" campaign, he addressed about 20,000 'Swacchagrahis' or cleanliness ambassadors at the Sacch Bharat Abhiyan event.

A sprawling tent-city, named 'Swachhagram', has been set up to accommodate the volunteers. Mahatma Gandhi had set off on his Champaran Satyagraha in 1917 in protest against atrocities on Indigo planters.

Here are some highlights of the event:

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- PM Modi was accompanied by Bihar CM Nitish Kumar at the event on Tuesday where he laid foundation stone for four sewerage projects worth Rs. 1,111.56 crore. "These four projects together will create new sewage treatment plant (STP) capacity of 60 MLD and lay the sewer network of 376.12 km in Saidpur and Pahari sewerage zones of Patna," the release said.The expected sewage load for Patna by 2035 is estimated to be 320 MLD.

- PM Modi also flagged offan electric locomotive, with a 12,000 horsepower (HP), which will be flagged off from Bihar's Madhepura loco factory.This will be the first of 40 locomotives expected to roll out of the factory by the end of March 2020. Under the agreement with Alstom, India will get 800 high horsepower electric locomotives over the next 11 years, at a cost of Rs. 20,000 crore

- He also flagged off the first run of the Champaran Humsafar Express between Katihar and Old Delhi.The Champaran Humsafar Express will facilitate faster, safer and comfortable journey experience for the common man of North Bihar.

- "In the last one week, more than 8,50,000 toilets have been constructed in Bihar. This is a great achievement. I congratulate the people, the 'Swachhagrahis' and the State Govt for this," he said.

-We will launch a Gram Swaraj Abhiyan from April 14. We should see that the message of hygiene reaches all sections and every person in the society.We should make India a clean country in order to realise the idea of a 'New India' by 2022, says PM.

- At the event, PM Modi says Bihar is the state that transformed Mahatma Gandhi into 'Bapu'. "Hundred years ago, people from across the country came to Champaran and worked under the leadership of Gandhi. Today, enthusiastic youngsters are working shoulder to shoulder with cleanliness workers," he said.

- Rs6,600 crore worth projects have been launchedtoday will be a boon to Bihar and Champaran. Projects worth Rs. 3,000 crore have been approved to prevent waste dumping in Ganga.

- "Under the leadership of Gandhi, the Satyagraha movement gave a new lease of life to many individuals. Swachhagraha is also changing people's lives," says Modi. "We will fulfill the dreams of Mahatma Gandhi" Modi added.

- He further urged the youth to play a big part in nation building with full enthusiasm.