By The Hindu Bureau
Copyright thehindu
On the occasion of the upcoming birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, the ‘Swachhata Hi Seva’ campaign was launched in Mandya as part of a nation-wide programme, entailing an intensive cleanliness drive across the district.
The campaign started on September 17 and will continue till October 2. K.R. Nandini, Mandya Zilla Panchayat CEO, inaugurated the drive on the zilla panchayat premises on Thursday.
The fortnight-long campaign has been named the ‘Swachhotsava’ movement. Ms. Nandini administered a pledge to the participants and planted saplings to mark the occasion. She said that the campaign was aimed at strengthening public awareness on cleanliness and stressed the need to maintain hygiene across all villages.
The ‘Swachhata Hi Seva’ campaign is being observed across the country to ensure total sanitation in rural areas. The authorities said that as part of the 15-day programme, cleanliness rallies, pledge-taking ceremonies, and voluntary ‘shramadaan’ (cleanliness drives) are being held across the district.
The CEO urged people to ensure the success of these efforts and underlined that large-scale public participation and community involvement were crucial to the success of this special drive.
Deputy Secretary Lakshmi, Assistant Secretaries (Development) Chandra and (Administration) Ravindra, zilla panchayat officials and staff, along with Swachh Bharat Mission consultants, were present.
The campaign will also serve to strengthen public awareness and community responsibility of maintaining cleanliness through voluntary participation and drives. There will be focus on eliminating unhygienic blackspots of uncleared garbage dumps. In addition, the contributions of sanitation workers will be recognised, while Safai Mitra Suraksha camps will be held and health-checkup camps will be conducted for the workers.
At the district, taluk, and gram panchayat levels, the campaign will include identification of unclean sites, organisation of Safai Mitra Suraksha camps, observance of Swachh Green festivals, and various awareness programmes, according to the authorities.
In addition, a ‘One Day – One Hour’ collective cleaning effort and other participatory activities will also be taken up involving the public to help transform the district into a garbage-free, eco-friendly region.
