Centre to kick start ‘Swachhta Hi Seva’ drive

A fortnight-long cleanliness drive 'Swachhta Hi Seva' will be launched by President Ram Nath Kovind in Kanpur Dehat on Friday. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, had in his recent Mann ki Baat program, called upon the nation to hold a sanitation campaign from September 15 till Gandhi Jayanti on October 2.

PM Modi's birthday (Sep 17) also falls during this fortnight-long sanitation campaign and it will be observed as 'Seva Divas'. The birth anniversary of Jan Sangh stalwart Deen Dayal Upadhyay falls on September 25 which will be observed as 'Sarvatra Swachhta'. Largescale cleaning of hospitals, parks, statues, bus stops, railway stations and ponds will be taken up on September 25, Financial Times reported. During his Mann Ki Baat address on August 27, the Prime Minister called upon people to create an environment of cleanliness across the entire country so that the coming 2nd October, the third anniversary of the Swachh Bharat Mission and Gandhi Jayanti, can be celebrated in a befitting manner.

All the Union Ministers are expected to voluntarily take part in it and encourage others in their ministries to contribute towards cleanliness. Modi has urged all NGOs, schools, colleges, social, cultural and political leaders, corporates, government officials, collectors and sarpanches, to accelerate Swachhta activities during the September 15 - October 2 period. The Information and Broadcasting Ministry has asked the AIR and Doordarshan to promote these drives and ensure that the message of cleanliness reaches even to the remotest parts of the country. According to reports, Akshay Kumat starring movie "Toilet: Ek Prem Katha", which has a strong message against open defecation, will be telecast on Doordarshan, while the gram panchayats will "organise gram sabhas" to watch the film.