New Delhi: The 55-day long Kumbh Mela saw record-breaking 2.25 crore devotees take the first ‘Shahi-Snan’ (Holy dip) in the ‘sangam’ of the rivers Ganga, Yamuna and Sarswati. With the theme of the festival being ‘ Swachh Kumbh, Surakshit Kumbh’ (Clean Kumbh, Secure Kumbh), the Minister for Drinking Water and Sanitation, Uma Bharti decided to visit the venue with the aim to review the sanitation arrangements.
The Minister addressed a specially convened ‘Swachhagrahi Sammelan’ at the Mela and appreciated the efforts made by the Kumbh and district authorities for making this year’s Mela clean and safe. Ms Bharti interacted with 1,500 sanitation workers, also known as Swachhagrahis, deployed from different districts of Uttar Pradesh to ensure cleanliness at the Kumbh.
Hon'ble Minister, DWS, Sushri @umasribharti along with Shri Suresh Khanna, Hon'ble Minister of Urban Development, Govt. of #UP addressed 1500 #Swachhagrahis in #Allahabad for their support towards ensuring #Swachhata at the #KumbhMela2019. pic.twitter.com/bX83n40wS3
— Swachh Bharat I #AzadiKaAmritMahotsav (@swachhbharat) January 16, 2019
Also Read: Swachh Kumbh: Uttar Pradesh Government Aims To Set An Example Of Cleanliness At Kumbh Mela
The 1,500 swachhagrahis have been assigned the job to monitor toilet cleanliness and awareness for 24 hours throughout the 55 days. The monitoring will be done via an ICT mobile application through which the cleanliness status will be recorded.
प्रयागराज में स्वच्छाग्रहियों के सम्मेलन को संबोधित किया। कुम्भ के दौरान स्वच्छता बनाये रखने के लिए हमारे 1500 स्वच्छाग्रही दिन-रात लोगों को प्रेरित कर रहे हैं। pic.twitter.com/WYEcokQN0B
— Uma Bharti (@umasribharti) January 16, 2019
She reviewed the interventions taken by the Uttar Pradesh state government for better sanitation and awareness generation around Swachh Bharat Abhiyan in Prayagraj. She also wished luck to the state in its goal to go ODF plus, following a toilet building spree to boost their sanitation coverage.
I would like to congratulate the UP government for boosting their sanitation coverage from 48 per cent to 100 per cent in the last two
years.
Ms Bharti specifically lauded the contribution of women in sanitation. She appreciated the outstanding work done by the Swachhagrahis at the grassroots, making the Swachh Bharat Mission Rural a success. Ms. Bharti distributed a cleanliness kit to 50 Swachhagrahis and also inaugurated an exhibition based on the concept of “Swachh Village”.
प्रयागराज में 'स्वच्छ ग्राम प्रदर्शनी' की शुरुआत की। यह प्रदर्शनी कुम्भ में आने वाले लोगों की स्वच्छता के लिए प्रेरित करेगा। pic.twitter.com/Cqt3tO0RR7
— Uma Bharti (@umasribharti) January 16, 2019
Also Read: Allahabad To Get Over One Lakh Toilets For An Open Defecation Free Kumbh Mela
Deputy Chief Minister, Uttar Pradesh, Keshav Prasad Maurya, who joined the Minister at the event, appreciated the work done by the Swachhagrahis, and said that sanitation and cleanliness should be everyone’s business.
NDTV – Dettol Banega Swachh India campaign lends support to the Government of India’s Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM). Helmed by Campaign Ambassador Amitabh Bachchan, the campaign aims to spread awareness about hygiene and sanitation, the importance of building toilets and making India open defecation free (ODF) by October 2019, a target set by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, when he launched Swachh Bharat Abhiyan in 2014. Over the years, the campaign has widened its scope to cover issues like air pollution, waste management, plastic ban, manual scavenging and menstrual hygiene. The campaign has also focused extensively on marine pollution, clean Ganga Project and rejuvenation of Yamuna, two of India’s major river bodies.
