New Delhi: To commemorate the second anniversary of the country’s Swachh Bharat Mission, Ministry of Railways has joined hands with Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation & Ministry of Urban Development, Govt. of India in jointly observing Swachh Bharat Week from 25th September 2016 (Birth anniversary day of Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay) to 2nd October 2016 (Gandhi Jayanthi). During this week, countrywide mass mobilization activities will be carried out on cleanliness and for Open Defecation Free communities.
Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu, Union Minister for Urban Development, Housing & Urban Poverty Alleviation and Information & Broadcasting administered the pledge on Swachh Bharat Abhiyan and flagged off a campaign at Kozhikode in Kerala yesterday (25.9.2016) in the august presence of Shri Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu, Union Minister of Railways, Shri Narendra Singh Tomar, Union Minister for Rural Development, Panchayati Raj, Drinking Water and Sanitation, Shri Manoj Sinha Union Minister of State for Communication and Railways, Shri Rajen Gohain, Union Minister of State for Railways.
On this occasion, Shri Vashishta Johri, General Manager, Southern Railway and Shri Naresh Lalwani, Divisional Railway Manager, Palakkad Division were present on the occasion.
Later, the dignitaries present on the occasion, planted tree saplings at the station premises .
Speaking on the occasion, Shri Venkaiah Naidu, Union Minister for Urban Development, Housing & Urban Poverty Alleviation and Information & Broadcasting expressed concern on open defecation and that the objective of the campaign is to eliminate open defection. During the campaign period, auditing will be done on the availability of sanitation facilities in Municipality areas.
Shri Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu, Union Minister of Railways, said that Swachhta Saptaah, the 9-day campaign on 9 key areas was successfully conducted in Railways from 17thSeptember 2016 and is culminating today i.e. on 25.09.2016 and will continue to join the Swachh Bharat Mission in a big way mobilizing all its resources.
Shri Narendra Singh Tomar, Union Minister for Rural Development, Panchayati Raj, Drinking Water and Sanitation stressed the need for taking the message of cleanliness to rural areas.
Sargalaya, Vadakara organized a Street Play highlighting the need to keep the public places clean. Railway officers & staff, school children, scouts & guides and volunteers participated in large numbers.
