Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju on Monday said the ‘Swachchh Bharat’ mission has to be vigorously pursued to ensure a clean environment.
Flagging off a BSF cleanliness expedition to the Himalayas and river Ganga, he said despite a national campaign running for last 15 months, much needs to be done still and the habit of keeping clean our surroundings has to be made a way of life.
“lakhs of toilets have been made under the Swachchh Bharat campaign after the Prime Minister gave a call and urged countrymen to participate in this mission (on August 15 last year) but in order to ensure full success to this drive all of us will have to undertake more efforts and with a force,” said Rijiju after flagging off a BSF cleanliness expedition here.
Rijiju complimented the Border Security Force (BSF) for undertaking the clean Himalaya and Ganga mission as he called the mountain ranges an ‘icon of faith and religion’ for the countrymen. “If the Himalayas are not clean, the country cannot be clean. They provide us water as many rivers emerge from these mountain ranges,” he said.
He said the BSF troops, during their 45-day long expedition on road, mountains and water, will help in spreading the message of Clean Indian Mission and will also educate people to keep “mother Ganga” clean. The 60-member expedition team will cycle, trek and raft about 1,000 kms distance through various north Indian States before they end their voyage on the 50th Raising Day of the BSF in December here.
During the event, BSF Director General DK Pathak said the expedition members would bring back garbage and waste materials left behind on the Himalayan ranges and river Ganga. The BSF ‘Swachchh Bharat, Swachchh Himalaya’ campaign will be conducted from October 12, 2015 to November 23, 2015 and includes Cycling expedition, he said.