New Delhi: To realise Gandhiji’s dream of a Clean India, Prime Minister had launched the Swachh Bharat Mission on 2nd October, 2014 as a mass movement. Both the Departments under M/o Communications i.e., D/o Telecommunications and D/o Posts have been fully conscious in this regard by paying round the year attention to ensure swachhta. The fortnight provided an opportunity to review the ongoing efforts and undertake cleanliness activities in accordance with a pre-determined action plan in the Ministry of Communications. Due attention was paid to observe swachhta campaign in the Department, PSUs and other organisations, field offices and community areas including school, roads and other places. Sensitizing the school children has been a key initiative. The Ministries proposes to endeavour in the future also to expand the reach and depth of swachhta for ensuring cleaner offices, safe drinking water and cleaner and greener public areas. In this way the commitment of swachhta will not be restricted to pakhwada period only.
Department of Telecommunications through its Telecom Service providers like BSNL, MTNL, Vodafone Idea Ltd, and Reliance Jio sent out messages, to the citizens to promote the cause of swachhta. The Department is also implementing Swachhta Action Plan (SAP) in its PSUs. As part of SAP, key activities were identified in advance for focused action and attention. These include, to name a few, construction and renovation of toilets by BSNL; community mobilisation; installing dustbins for public and cleaning common parking areas by TCIL; renovation of labour canteen and driver rooms by C-DoT and other cleanliness activities at various locations.
The Department of Posts, on this occasion, in addition to intensive cleaning of Post offices, postal colonies and Administrative Offices, also declared 318 post offices as plastic free. In addition to this, the census of trees has been completed in 847 post offices & postal colonies and the remaining is underway. During this fortnight, about 3 lakh postmen and GraminDakSevaks of the Department were declared as “Ambassadors of cleanliness”. As “SwachhtaDoots” they have spread the message of cleanliness, zero tolerance to open defecation and use of plastic among the masses. It was only because of tireless efforts of these ‘Ambassadors of cleanliness’ that this campaign could reach the far-flung areas of the country. A total of 355 workshops on “Swachhta se Swasthaya” was organized. A total of five thousand students participated in Essay writing competitions. Three top performing circles namely Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Kerala were objectively quantified based on swachhta parameters and outreach activity & awarded Ist, IInd&IIIrd prizes for outstanding cleanliness efforts & spreading the message of swachhta to the masses in the spirit of ‘Swachhta is Everyone’s Business’.
Ministry of Communications will continue to work tirelessly even beyond Pakhwada to realize the dream of Swachh Bharath.
