On the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti being observed as Swachchh Bharat Diwas, Uttarakhand Governor Krishan Kant Paul stressed on the need for achieving Mahatma Gandhi’s dream of a clean India. He along with Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat presented prizes to winners of the short film and essay competitions and the Ganga Art Marathon organised under the Swachchh Sankalp se Swachchh Siddhi mission.
People who have been working commendably for the Sawchchh Bharat Mission were also honoured on the occasion. The GB Pant University of Agriculture and Technology was honoured for securing the first position in cleanliness at the national level among the institutions of higher education, Bageshwar District Administration was also honoured for obtaining first position among the rural districts in Swachchh Bharat Mission at the national level and the District Magistrate of Uttarkashi district was also honoured for his initiative aimed at enhancing awareness of cleanliness.
Congratulating the winners on the occasion, the Governor said that Mahatma Gandhi began his cleanliness efforts while he was still in South Africa. During 2014, the Prime Minister Narendra Modi had stressed upon the importance of cleanliness and linked the Swachchh Bharat Mission to Gandhi’s dream of a clean India. In the past three years, this mission had achieved success with about 25 crore people now living in open defecation free areas. He further opined that the acceptability of the mission was increasing. The Governor said, “We must all follow the Prime Minister’s slogan ‘na gandagi karunga aur na hi gandagi karne dunga’. This mission should be carried on.”
Expressing his views on the occasion, the Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat said that the participation of people in the mission is very important to its success. The mission should not be limited to official Government functions but should be transformed into a public movement. He said that the new generation would have to make an important contribution to the mission and make cleanliness a part of their lives. He said Uttarakhand was the fourth State in the country to become open defecation free (ODF) in the rural areas. The State Government has also set a target of March 2018 for making all the urban areas of Uttarakhand ODF. Rawat also expressed gratitude towards the then Union Urban Development and Housing Minister and the present Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu for increasing the amount provided under the mission for construction of a toilet from Rs 4,000 to Rs 10,800. He said that community toilets will also be constructed by the Government in densely populated areas of Haridwar and Rishikesh. Stressing on the importance of a balanced environment also for tackling pollution, the Chief Minister said that the people of Uttarakhand had greater responsibility to fulfill towards keeping the Ganga river clean.
The State Minister for Higher Education Dhan Singh Rawat, Tehri MP Mala Rajya laxmi, Bharatiya Janata Party State president Ajay Bhatt, Chief Secretary S Ramaswamy and others were also present on the occasion.