E-Paper
PM Modi leads nation in cleanliness drive ahead of Gandhi Jayanati
Swachh Bharat Diwas or Swachhta Diwas is observed every year on October 2 on the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti, during which politicians and citizens alike can be seen taking part in performing tasks ranging from sweeping to garbage collection as part of the nationwide cleanliness drive
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday led the nation in ‘Swachhata Hi Seva Abhiyan’ as he joined the mega cleanliness drive ahead of the Mahatma Gandhi Jayanti. Modi was seen taking up a broom and cleaning the ground with wrestler turned social media influencer Ankit Baiyanpuriya.
“Today, as the nation focuses on Swachhata, Ankit Baiyanpuriya and I did the same! Beyond just cleanliness, we blended fitness and well-being also into the mix. It is all about that Swachh and Swasth Bharat vibe!” PM Modi wrote in his 4-minute video posted on X.
Swachh Bharat Diwas or Swachhta Diwas is observed every year on October 2 on the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti, during which politicians and citizens alike can be seen taking part in performing tasks ranging from sweeping to garbage collection as part of the nationwide cleanliness drive.
Also Read: Massive ‘Swachhata Hi Seva’ campaign: Union ministers, BJP leaders join the cleanliness drive
As part of the Ek Tareekh Ek Ghanta Ek Saath initiative for cleanliness, people across the country today participated in a mega cleanliness drive on the clarion call of Prime Minister Modi.
This year’s Swachhata Hi Seva (SHS) 2023 campaign is themed ‘Garbage-Free India’.
On Sunday, Union ministers and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders across the country participated in the ‘Shramdaan for Cleanliness’ programme as part of the ‘Swachhata Hi Seva’ campaign.
Union home minister Amit Shah participated in Ahmedabad where he was seen sweeping the streets with his party workers and Gujarat chief minister, while BJP national president JP Nadda led the campaign from Delhi.
Union minister Piyush Goyal and Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla participated in the campaign in Kota, Rajasthan.
“India will become clean and prosperous with everyone’s efforts! Today in Kota, by joining the Swachhta Pakhwada campaign resolved by Prime Minister @NarendraModi ji, he did Shramdaan along with Lok Sabha Speaker @OmBirla ji in Kota and called upon everyone to ensure participation in this service work,” Piyush Goyal wrote on X.
BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad took part in the cleanliness drive organised under the ‘Swachhata Hi Seva’ campaign in Patna and Meenakshi Lekhi was seen sweeping streets in the national capital.
Other Union ministers, including Dharmendra Pradhan, Bhupendra Yadav, Rajeev Chandrashekhar, Jitendra Singh and others while Maharashtra chief minister Eknath Shinde, his deputy Devendra Fadnavis, UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath, also took part in the drive.
Union minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar was seen participating in the campaign at Safdarjung railway station in Delhi where he was captured picking litter from the railway tracks.
After participating in the ‘Swachhata Hi Seva’ campaign, Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh said, “During the Independence Day address, the PM called for the cleanliness campaign. A lot of people did not understand it initially but slowly it has become a mass movement... More than 4 lakh toilets were constructed in the first year... No one can have a problem with cleanliness...”
The Union housing and urban affairs ministry said NGOs, market associations, self-help groups, faith groups, trade bodies and private sector companies, among others, volunteered for the “Shramdaan” in more than 22,000 market areas, 10,000 water bodies, 7,000 bus stands/toll plazas, 1,000 gaushalas, 300 zoos and wildlife areas and various other locations in rural and urban India.
Not only politicians but prominent Indian crickets and influencers including Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, among others also urged people to participate in the cleanliness drive.
Among the states, Uttar Pradesh adopted more than a lakh sites for cleanliness drives while Maharashtra will conduct the programme in over 62,000 locations, including beaches, religious places, schools, colleges and water bodies.
PM Modi had appealed to the nation to pay tribute to Mahatma Gandhi by participating in a one-hour ‘Shramdaan for Swachhata’, in his 105th episode of Mann ki Baat.
