PM Modi launches Rs 150 coin to mark 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi

On the occasion of Mahatma Gandhi’s 150th birth anniversary, Prime Minister Narendra Modi released stamps and Rs 150 coin in the memory of Babu.

"The whole world is celebrating Bapu's birth anniversary. A few days ago United Nations (UN) released a postal stamp to make this occasion memorable, now commemorative stamps and coins have also been released here," said PM Modi.

PM Modi also proclaimed India to be an open defecation free nation. "I am satisfied that on the occasion of Gandhi at 150, we are witnessing the fulfillment of his dream of ''Swachh Bharat''. I feel lucky that on this occasion, when India has successfully stopped open defecation, I'm here at the ashram," PM Modi’s message in the visitor's book at Sabarmati Ashram.

"Today the whole world is appreciating and awarding us. Providing toilets to more than 60 crore people in 60 months, building more than 11 crore toilets, the whole world is amazed by this," he said.

"Today rural India and its villages have declared themselves open defecation free," he added.

PM Modi also pledged to do away with single use plastic by 2022.

"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," said PM Modi.

Previously, PM Modi had also launched a commemorative coin of Rs 350 to honour the birth anniversary of Guru Gobind Singh and Rs 100 coin in 2018 to commemorate former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee.