New Delhi, Aug 14 (IANS): Asking Indians the fundamental question "Why cant we keep our environment free of filth", President Pranab Mukherjee Thursday asked his fellow countrymen and women to honour the memory of Mahatma Gandhi on his 150th birth anniversary by making the goal of making India a clean country by 2019 as a "national mission".

Saying that "clean environment breeds clean thoughts; cleanliness is a mark of self-respect," the president, in his address to the nation on the eve of Independence Day, reminded Indians that they bore the legacy of a rich cultural tradition where ancient travellers like Megasthenes (4th century BC), Fa Hien (5th century AD) and Hiuen Tsang (7th century AD), when they came to India, have written about the efficient administrative systems, with planned settlements and good urban infrastructure.

"What has gone wrong with us now? Why can’t we keep our environment free of filth?" he asked and said Prime Minister Narendra Modi's call to honour the memory of Mahatma Gandhi on his 150th birth anniversary, by making India a clean country by 2019, was commendable, "but it can be achieved only if each Indian converts this into a national mission.

"Every road, every path, every office, every home, every hut, every river, every stream, every particle in the air around us can be kept clean, if we but cared just a little. We must nurture nature, so that nature continues to nurture us," the president declared.