Government asks ministries, officials to take cleanliness pledge on Gandhi Jayanti

The Narendra Modi government has asked all ministries to go on an "intensive cleanliness campaign" from September 25 to October 2 in the week to Mahatma Gandhi's birth anniversary, culminating in a Swachta Shapath or cleanliness pledge to be taken by bureaucrats in Delhi on Gandhi Jayanthi. 

Cabinet secretary Ajit Seth asked secretaries to take the cleanliness drive in government offices and public buildings "to the next level so that there is visible and felt impact," in a September 20 note that ET has seen. 

The cleanliness pledge is to be taken by all government officials on October 2, with senior staff personally seeing to it that the week-long drive is pursued vigorously in their departments. Seth asked ministries for a comprehensive action plan to be sent to him by September 22 "so that Prime Minister Narendra Modi can be briefed". 

Modi has already said that he will be picking up the broom on October 2 to clean a public place. 

"The PM has given a call for Swach Bharat as a mass movement to realise Mahatma Gandhi's dream of cleanliness. Each ministry should participate in this national endeavour and undertake cleanliness and awareness campaign in a befitting manner," Seth said. 

"For a campaign of this nature to be successful, there is a need to create massive public awareness and to ensure participation and action for cleaning homes, government offices, schools, hospitals, work places, streets, roads and markets, railway station and bus terminals, statues, monuments, rivers, lakes, ponds and other public places," he said in the note. 

He also said it was important to involve government and public sector officials "at every level" as well as industry groupings in the cleanliness drive. "Effective use of mass media such as radio, TV, and newspapers and digital media such as Internet and mobile may be made in this regard," he said. 

The cabinet secretary said the Union department of water and sanitation has already written to all chief ministers in this regard and asked all ministries to similarly get in touch with related departments in all states.

Source : The Economic Times