NEW DELHI: Actor and conservationist Dia Mirza has been named brand ambassador for Swachh Bharat’s youth based Swachh Saathi (student internship) program.

“Swachh Bharat is amongst the most important initiatives taken up by the government and I believe that the Swachh Saathi program will be an extremely important part of our dream to realize a clean, healthy and environmentally conscious youth and country,” she said after accepting the honour.

Under the Swachh Saathi programme, more than 2,000 interns would be enrolled to coordinate with around 10,000 schools across the country and ensure that all students in these schools take the pledge for Clean India.

“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,” said Swachh Bharat Mission director Praveen Prakash.

“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,” added Mirza.

In its letter, the Urban Development Minstry wants Dia Mirza to take part in awareness campaigns, participation in community cleaning activities, and takking to the youth to keep their environment clean. She has also been requested to do a few videos to encourage the young to join the programme.