New Delhi: “Swachh Bharat is a shared responsibility, and every effort counts,” said Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday (September 29), while calling upon people across the country to take part in a mega cleanliness drive on October 1 beginning at 10 a.m. The Prime Minister took to X (formerly Twitter) urging the citizens to join the initiative.
1st October at 10 AM, we come together for a pivotal cleanliness initiative.
A Swachh Bharat is a shared responsibility, and every effort counts. Join this noble endeavour to usher in a cleaner future. https://t.co/tFvvDwKnzq
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 29, 2023
Earlier this week, during his 105th episode of Mann ki Baat, PM Modi discussed the cleanliness drive, saying,
A big event on cleanliness is going to be organised on October 1 at 10 a.m. You too should take out time and help in this campaign related to cleanliness. You can also join this cleanliness campaign in your street, neighbourhood, park, river, lake, or any other public place.
Also Read: Indian Swachhata League Kicks Off With Over 4,000 City Teams Joining Cleanliness Crusade
Ek Tareekh, Ek Ghanta, Ek Saath – The Mega Cleanliness Drive
‘Ek Tareekh, Ek Ghanta, Ek Saath’ campaign is a mega cleanliness drive to mark the celebration of Gandhi Jayanti. This initiative is a run-up to the ‘Swachhata Pakhwada- Swachhata Hi Seva’ 2023 campaign. This follows PM Modi’s appeal for one hour of ‘Shramdaan for Swachhata’ at 10 a.m. on October 1 by all citizens. The Prime Minister said that the cleanliness drive will be a Swachhanjali to Mahatma Gandhi on the eve of his Jayanti.
Every town, Gram Panchayat, all sectors of the government, like civil aviation, railways, and public institutions, will be facilitating cleanliness events led by the citizens. A special portal has been set up to help organisations put up different events. The portal will also invite influencers and citizens to join this people’s movement as Swachhata Ambassadors. People can click pictures and upload them on the portal to mark their presence.
Actor Rajkummar Rao came forward in support of the PM’s cleanliness drive. He participated in a beach clean-up drive, ‘Cleanathon 2.0’ organised on Friday, at Juhu Beach in Mumbai, Maharashtra.
Speaking to the news agency, ANI, the actor requested that the citizens do their bit to join the endeavour to usher in a cleaner future. He said,
This is a very important initiative. We all should take part in Modi ji’s ‘Swachhata hi Seva’ as it is very important to keep our city and country clean.
Actors Manushi Chhillar, Saiyami Kher, and Isha Kopikkar were also spotted at the cleanliness drive.
On organising a cleanliness drive, social worker and singer Amruta Fadnavis said,
Many people, including celebrities and the city police commissioner, have joined this beach clean-up. It is our responsibility to leave a clean planet for future generations. Mumbai’s bio-diverse coastline can be protected only through each individual’s contribution.
Talking about the drive, which is scheduled to take place on October 1, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) Commissioner Iqbal Singh Chahal said,
On October 1, we are conducting cleanliness drives at 168 locations in Mumbai. We are setting up seven Sewage Treatment Plants at the cost of Rs 25,000 crore in Mumbai. This way we will be able to release only treated and chemical-free water in the sea.
(With inputs from ANI)
NDTV – Dettol have been working towards a clean and healthy India since 2014 via the Banega Swachh India initiative, which is helmed by Campaign Ambassador Amitabh Bachchan. The campaign aims to highlight the inter-dependency of humans and the environment, and of humans on one another with the focus on One Health, One Planet, One Future – Leaving No One Behind. It stresses on the need to take care of, and consider, everyone’s health in India – especially vulnerable communities – the LGBTQ population, indigenous people, India’s different tribes, ethnic and linguistic minorities, people with disabilities, migrants, geographically remote populations, gender and sexual minorities. In wake of the current COVID-19 pandemic, the need for WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) is reaffirmed as handwashing is one of the ways to prevent Coronavirus infection and other diseases. The campaign will continue to raise awareness on the same along with focussing on the importance of nutrition and healthcare for women and children, fight malnutrition, mental wellbeing, self care, science and health, adolescent health & gender awareness. Along with the health of people, the campaign has realised the need to also take care of the health of the eco-system. Our environment is fragile due to human activity, which is not only over-exploiting available resources, but also generating immense pollution as a result of using and extracting those resources. The imbalance has also led to immense biodiversity loss that has caused one of the biggest threats to human survival – climate change. It has now been described as a “code red for humanity.” The campaign will continue to cover issues like air pollution, waste management, plastic ban, manual scavenging and sanitation workers and menstrual hygiene. Banega Swasth India will also be taking forward the dream of Swasth Bharat, the campaign feels that only a Swachh or clean India where toilets are used and open defecation free (ODF) status achieved as part of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2014, can eradicate diseases like diahorrea and the country can become a Swasth or healthy India.
