Friday, October 2

Gandhi Jayanti: Jitendra Singh, Delhi ministers join cleanliness drives under ‘Swachhata Hi Seva’ campaign

New Delhi, Oct 2 (IANS) Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh on Friday participated in a cleanliness drive at the Vinay Marg premises on the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti, while paying floral tribute to Mahatma Gandhi and inaugurating a paper-destroying machine aimed at facilitating the recycling of discarded paper.

Speaking to reporters, Dr Jitendra Singh said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had called for cleanliness in his first Independence Day address from the Red Fort after assuming office.

“As you know, immediately after becoming Prime Minister, in his first Independence Day address from the Red Fort, Prime Minister Modi called for cleanliness. At that time, perhaps many people did not understand it, but this is a special quality of Modi ji, whatever he calls for takes the form of a mass movement,” he said.

Another cleanliness drive and tree plantation programme was organised in Delhi’s Wazirpur Assembly constituency under the leadership of MLA Poonam Bhardwaj on Gandhi Jayanti. Delhi Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa and Deputy Speaker Mohan Singh Bisht participated as chief guests and joined the initiative. School and college students also took part in the campaign.

Delhi Minister Ashish Sood said the government had launched the ‘Dump the Junk’ campaign to discourage littering and promote responsible waste disposal.

“From today until October 17, we are running the ‘Dump the Junk’ campaign with the youth and people of Delhi to discourage littering and ensure that garbage is not thrown indiscriminately. Today, Chief Minister Rekha Gupta is also undertaking ‘shramdaan’ for cleanliness on a road,” Sood said.

Meanwhile, the nationwide ‘Ek Din, Ek Ghanta, Ek Saath’ cleanliness drive is being conducted as part of the Swachhata Hi Seva 2026 campaign. The initiative aims to improve cleanliness and sanitation while creating awareness about hygiene and proper waste disposal.

Several Union Ministers, Chief Ministers, and senior officials are participating in cleanliness drives across the country.

The Swachhata Hi Seva 2026 campaign, which began on September 17, will continue until October 17. This year’s theme is ‘Swachhata Mein Sahbhag, Swachh Bharat, Viksit Bharat’, highlighting collective participation and shared responsibility in advancing the vision of a clean and developed India.

–IANS

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