Dia Mirza named ambassador for 'Swachh Saathi' programme

Mumbai: Bollywood actress Dia Mirza has been named the ambassador for Swachh Bharat Mission's youth-based 'Swachh Saathi' (student internship) programme.   The "Rehna Hai Tere Dil Mein" star will take forward the message of the government's 'Swachh Saathi' programme, which she hails as the most important part to realise the dream of a clean country.   "Swachh Bharat is among the most important initiatives taken up by the government and I believe that the Swachh Saathi programme will be an extremely important part of our dream to realise a clean, healthy and environmentally conscious youth and country," Dia, 34, said in a statement.   Under the Swachh Saathi programme, more than 2,000 interns would be enrolled, who would coordinate with around 10,000 schools across the country and ensure that all students in these schools take the pledge for Clean India, the statement read.   "Dia is a youth icon and has been an active campaigner for Swachh Bharat. We felt that she would be the best person to help us reach out to more youngsters. Our aim is to make it a viral youth led movement," Swachh Bharat mission director Praveen Prakash said.   As the ambassador, the actress would interact with school and college students from across the country through awareness sessions, community cleaning activities and motivational videos.   "Over the years I have tried to engage as many minds as possible to understand that our planet and our country need the immediate involvement of all its citizens, so that we can take responsibility and make our world a better place to live in," Dia said.