Highlights
- Four teams of scientists, officers and support staff of ITR cleaned roads
- Women employees also came forward to participate in 'Clean Balasore' drive
- Scientists also cleaned schools, urged children to keep surroundings clean
Scientists and staff members of Interim Test Range (ITR), Chandipur picked up brooms in their hands and cleaned roads at the Police Line Square area in Balasore (Baleshwar Town) in Odisha as part of ‘Swachhata Hi Seva‘ programme, which was launched by President Ram Nath Kovind from Uttar Pradesh on September 15. The scientists took up the “Clean Balasore” drive to spread the message that cleanliness is not the responsibility of only sanitation personnel and government departments; it is a multi-stakeholder national movement. With a vision to generate awareness among locals and make Swachh Bharat Abhiyan a people’s movement, the scientists and others undertook shramdaan (volunteering their service) to clean up the roads. ITR Director Dr. Binoy K Das along with four teams of scientists, officers, staff and support staff of the Interim Test Range participated in this activity.
Also Read: Cleanliness Drive Begins At Siachen Glacier, Waste To Be Cleared Daily Till October 2
As part of the “Clean Balasore” drive, the women employees of Interim Test Range also came forward and participated in the cleanup activity.
“This cleanup activity was conducted during the early morning hour, and has successfully managed to generate awareness among the locals of the coastal town to participate in the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan and make India a clean and open defecation free country, ” said an ITR official.
The cleanliness awareness programme was also arranged in various schools, wherein senior scientists not only cleaned the schools but also addressed the children about the benefits to cleanliness and hygiene. The scientists also motivated them to keep their surroundings clean and spread the message of swachhata among others where they live.
A marathon and street play by ITR team has also been planned as part of the “Clean Balasore” activity. Both of these activities aim to develop awareness among people regarding the fortnight-long Swachhata Hi Seva (Cleanliness is Service) campaign, which was initiated to take the central government’s ambitious cleanliness drive to a higher trajectory. The marathon will start from ITR Colony and would move via ITI square up to Fakir Mohan Golai.
With a vision to make India clean, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has written to opinion makers across fields, including industry, sports and cinema, seeking their support to motivate public to adopt safe sanitation practices and participate in this ‘noblest service’ of keeping India swachh.
Of the nine cities in Odisha state that were covered in Swachh Survekshan, Balasore managed to score 190th place out of a total of 434 cities across the country which were surveyed on the Swachh parameters.
Also Read: Union Minister M Venkaiah Naidu Urges Delhi Civic Bodies To Improve Swachh Survekshan Rankings
(With inputs from PTI)
