With an aim to create greater awareness on prevention of vector-borne diseases in Delhi, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal kickstarted anti-dengue campaign on Sunday.
Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, cabinet ministers Rajendra Pal Gautam and Kailash Gahlot shared pictures and videos on Twitter after inspecting their homes for signs of stagnant clean water
Kejriwal started the campaign by checking his house for stagnant water in which mosquito breeds. He also took to social media to urge people to participate in the campaign.
"Last year, two crore people of Delhi had defeated dengue. Let''s start the next 10-week battle against dengue from today At 10 am, I will check my house whether there is any stagnant water. You must also. We have to defeat dengue again this time," he said in a tweet in Hindi.
Sisodia tweeted in Hindi, "Often we feel that there is not a single place in our house where there is stagnant water but if you take 10 minutes to check properly, you will find stagnant water somewhere. That''s why it is important to join the #10Hafte10Baje10Minute campaign -- to protect your family from dengue @ArvindKejriwal."
The campaign last year had garnered the support of many celebrities as well as officials of the government and other autonomous bodies. Due to the success of the drive last year, there were only 2036 dengue cases in Delhi and only two deaths as compared to 15867 dengue cases and 60 deaths in 2015.
Kejriwal said, "The rainy season is here again, and it is the first week of September. We all know that at this point, the breeding of mosquitoes that spread dengue is at a peak. We have to save ourselves and our family from dengue. Last year, we participated in a massive campaign and this year we will do that again this year”.
The campaign, which began on September 6, will continue every Sunday.
Kejriwal has appealed to the ministers, MLAs, and the citizens to begin the mega-campaign from their own homes and spend 10 minutes every Sunday to make sure there is no stagnant water in their homes and surroundings.
After the first week of the launch of the flagship campaign, a doctor will share advice on the do's and don'ts to prevent dengue in the second week. The campaign also seeks to engage the residents to pick up the phone and call 10 of their friends/relatives and advise them on the good practices of preventing dengue.
“The Resident Welfare Association will be asked to come together and help in the fight against dengue and promote the campaign. Many celebrities and social media influencers will also take part in the campaign by recording themselves following the good practices advised during the campaign and subsequently share through their various social media channels,” the government said in a statement.
At various stages, children will be encouraged to take part in the campaign by assigning them homework on behalf of the schools and asking them to call their friends to encourage them to take part in the campaign as well, it said.