Jabalpur: Children are the agents of change, and nowhere is this more clear than in Madhya Pradesh’s Jabalpur district where about half a lakh school children have joined the ‘Swachh’ movement.
Nearly 53, 00 children have joined the famous cleanliness ‘Roko-Toko’ campaign to spread awareness and change attitudes with respect to cleanliness and hygiene across the district. With special attention given to the issue of defecating in open.
As part of the Jabalpur Municipal Corporation’s City Guardian Club (CGC), these children are educating their elders and family members on issues like open defecation, waste management and water and electricity problems.
Under the innovative ‘Roko-Toko’ initiative, the kids raise an alarm if they come across anyone defecating in open.
The club has been formed in less than three months. More importantly, 53,000 students from 540 schools have joined it for promoting civic sense and cleanliness, Jabalpur Municipal Commissioner Ved Prakash told PTI.
“Painting and other competitions with thrust on environment, cleanliness, among other things, are being organised by the CGC,” he said, adding that they aim to take the club’s membership to 1.80 lakh in next couple of months.
Also Read: 20,000 Youths To Be Trained And Deployed As ‘Swachhta Doots’
The ‘Roko-Toko’ campaign was first started in Indore, which was trying to become ‘Open Defecation Free’ status. With the help of community members and civic officials, some 12,000 household toilets, 61 public toilets, 250 public urinals and more than 100 public toilets have already been renovated in Indore.
Post the Indore initiative, the school going children from Jabalpur joined the ‘Swachhta’ movement.
The CGC has come as a blessing for us. The city is turning cleaner day by day. We are aiming to turn the city into the cleanest place in Madhya Pradesh, Jabalpur Mayor Swati Godbole said.
Also Read: Indore’s Swachh Mantra: ‘Roko Aur Toko’ Whenever You See People Defecating In Open
With inputs from PTI
