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1,000 diyas lit, cleanliness drive launched in Sikkim on PM’s birthday
Gangtok, Sep 17 (PTI) A total of 1,000 diyas were lit at Ridge Park in Gangtok on Thursday to mark Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s birthday as the Sikkim government launched a state-wide cleanliness and sanitation campaign.
The ‘Swachhata Hi Seva’ campaign, to be observed from September 17 to October 2, was launched in the presence of Governor Om Prakash Mathur and Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang, a statement said.
The initiative focuses on sustained cleanliness and strengthening sanitation and waste-management systems across the state, it said.
It seeks to promote greater citizen ownership of cleanliness and sanitation through a “Whole of Government and Whole of Society” approach, with participation from both rural and urban areas, the statement said.
Mathur administered the ‘Swachhata’ pledge at the programme, with participants committing to contribute 100 hours every year towards cleanliness and community service, it said.
The Urban Development Department also unveiled the logo of the ‘Clean Hill Himalayan Cities Initiative’, aimed at promoting sustainable cleanliness and scientific waste-management practices suited to Himalayan urban centres.
Seventeen sanitation and waste-management vehicles were also flagged off at the programme. The fleet comprises five mobile treatment units (MTUs), two cesspool vehicles and 10 resource recovery vehicles for various Gram Panchayat Units.
Two ambulances provided under the SBI CSR initiative were also flagged off. One was designated for Soreng Primary Health Centre and the other for Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya.
At the programme, the first instalment of Rs 25,000 each was also handed over to nine SHGs in Gangtok under the ‘Swachh Sheher Abhiyaan’.
The initiative seeks to bring women from Self Help Groups (SHGs) into the waste-management ecosystem through door-to-door campaigns, waste-to-compost activities and other sanitation interventions, the statement said.
Among those present at the programme were Rural Development Minister Arun Kumar Upreti, Urban Development Minister Bhoj Raj Rai and Chief Secretary R Telang. PTI CORR SOM
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