As part of the Swachhata Hi Seva (SHS), 2023 campaign, the Department of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation (DoWR), along with the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG), organised a cleanliness drive at Chhath Ghat, ITO on the eve of Gandhi Jayanti. Around 1,000 people joined the drive, and more than 6,000 kg of waste was collected.
According to an official statement from the Ministry of Jal Shakti, “Taking inspiration from Prime Minister, Narendra Modi’s clarion call for ‘Ek Tareekh Ek Ghanta Ek Saath’, and as part of the Swachhata Hi Seva, 2023 campaign, the Department of Water Resources, DoWR along with NMCG organised a cleanliness drive at Chhath Ghat, ITO on the eve of Gandhi Jayanti.”
The DoWR Secretary Debashree Mukherjee, Ministry of Jal Shakti, Director General of National Mission for Clean Ganga G Asok Kumar, along with senior officials, participated in the cleanliness drive that began at 10 am on October 1.
As per the official statement, the Swachhata Pledge was administered to the gathering, and participants were also sensitised about the importance of clean rivers through nukkad natak on the ghat. Around 1,000 people joined the drive, and more than 6,000 kg of waste was collected.
Debashree Mukherjee said that the involvement of communities is crucial to the ‘Swachhata Hi Seva’ campaign, and several NGOs, youth groups, and children participating in the event were inspiring.
She added that the organisations under the Ministry of Jal Shakti were participating in this event, led by NMCG.
Asok Kumar, DG of NMCG, said that the event was organised as part of the ‘Swachhata Hi Seva’ campaign and that it would culminate on Gandhi Jayanti, which was observed as Swachh Bharat Divas across the country, said the statement.
He informed that cleanliness drives, nukkad nataks, cultural events etc., under Namami Gange and Arth Ganga were organised in the past few days along the ghats of River Ganga and its tributaries in the Ganga Basin States as part of this campaign to make cleanliness a mass movement.
“It is the duty of each one of us to keep our rivers and water bodies clean,” he said. Kumar also said that this is also part of the Clean Yamuna campaign being run by NMCG for the 22 km Delhi stretch from the past one-and-a-half year.
The official statement said that organisations of the Ministry of Jal Shakti, including the National Water Mission, Central Water Commission, Central Groundwater Board, CSMRS, NWDA etc. also took part in the cleanliness drive.
Officials from Delhi Jal Board (DJB), Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), volunteers from NGOs Tree Craze, YSS, SYA, YPF, FOY, Paryavaran Sanrakshan, Bharatiyam, Saksham Bhoomi Foundation, school and college students, volunteers from Ganga Vichar Manch also joined hands with NMCG to make the event successful, it added.
The focus during the drive remained on freeing the ghat from any kind of solid waste. A similar cleanliness drive was also organised by NGOs at Kalindi Kunj ghat in South Delhi, it said.
Similar events were also organised along the ghats of River Ganga and its tributaries along the Ganga Basin. Ganga Praharis, Ganga Mitras, Ganga Doots, students, officials from district administration, local people etc. took part in the cleanliness drives as part of the Swachhta Hi Sewa campaign, said the statement.
The events were throughout the period of the Swachhta Hi Sewa campaign in states through District Ganga Committees, the district-level arm of NMCG. Ganga Task Force (GTF) also participated in the events Prayagraj, Varanasi and Kanpur, it said.
Swachhta Hi Sewa drives were also undertaken at the Namami Gange Sewage Treatment Plants (Nirmal Jal Kendras) premises in the Ganga Basin by the executing agencies, said the statement.
(with inputs from ANI)
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