Satyagrah se Swachhagrah: Modi addresses cleanliness workers in Bihar

Motihari: Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Bihar on Tuesday morning to partake in the 100th anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi’s Champaran Satyagraha. Modi has referred to the occasion as a carnival of his Clean India Mission; the campaign is being dubbed as “Satyagrah se Swachhagrah”.

According to a report in NDTV, near about 20,000 cleanliness ambassadors from different parts of the nation have converged at Motihari – a place situated 150 km from Patna – to be a part of the event. Modi’s Bihar visit also marks some of the many firsts. He is here to kickstart country’s first all-electric high-speed locomotive that was completed by Alstom of France as the first big Make-in-India initiative. The train was developed at the Electric Locomotive Factory in Madhepura. The locomotive will have a maximum speed of 120 km per hour and has a 12,000 horsepower engine, Alstom said.

Out of the 40 trains expected to roll out by March 2020, this is the first one. As per the clauses of the agreement with Alstom, India will have 800 high horsepower electric trains in the coming 11 years at a price of Rs 20,000 crore. The all-electric superfast locomotive is expected to reduce operating costs in Railways and check greenhouse gas emissions. The Prime Minister will also launch bi-weekly train Humsafar Express, linking Katihar to New Delhi. He will inaugurate the extension of Muzaffarpur-Narkatiyaganj rail track and the electrification of the Motihari-Muzaffarpur rail line. The Champaran Satyagrah was initiated by Mahatma Gandhi, ten years ago on this day, to protest against forced indigo cultivation and to fight for farmers’ rights.