To spread awareness on
cleanliness as part of its ‘Swachhta Abhiyan’, the Ministry of
Shipping is celebrating Swachh Bharat Pakhwada from 16th -31st
March, 2017 and has undertaken various activities under this campaign. The
event was launched by Shri Nitin Gadkari, Minister of Shipping and Road
Transport & Highways on 16th March 2017, in the premises of the
Shipping Corporation of India in Mumbai. The Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan was
launched by Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi on 2nd October, 2014 to
urge people to fulfill Mahatma Gandhi’s vision of a clean India, by his 150th
birth anniversary in 2019.
The Ministry of Shipping and all organizations
under it, had launched a year long drive for cleanliness as part of Swachh
Bharat Abhiyaan. A twenty two point agenda
was agreed upon for ports and PSUs, that included cleaning of wharfs and sheds, repair
of sheds, auction and disposal of all unserviceable items and
unclaimed goods, painting with uniform colour code (unique to a Port) of all
signages and boards, beautification and cleaning of parks, covering tiles, modernizing
all toilet complexes , placing dust bins at regular intervals , boards –
indicating cleanliness messages – dos & don’ts, painting, whitewashing all
office buildings and residences with proper colour, proper keeping of files,
records, dak pads and other important papers in the office/work places, cleaning
and painting of statues, cleaning & repairing of all drainages and storm
water system, plantation in open area, avenues and corners, award to
departments or officers whose area/jurisdiction is most neat & clean, regular
training to staff to generate awareness and inculcate the importance of a clean
environment, removing unnecessary vegetation, solid waste collection,
segregation, sorting and storage on ships, liquid and faecal waste treatment
before discharge, special cleanliness drive in office premises of the
organization at regular intervals, removing/weeding out old records and files,
removal/disposal of unused/obsolete articles, optimise the work space with
better space management for more work station in the same area, regular and
proper cleaning of all furniture/fixtures and other office articles kept in
office/work stations
The Swachh Bharat Pakhwada is a
culmination of the year long efforts of the Ministry, the ports and
other organizations like DG
Shipping, SCI,
Dredging Corporation Of India, Cochin Shipyard Limited, Directorate General of
Lighthouses and Lightships, to spread cleanliness at their premises. The activities taken up during this
period included weeding out of old files, a
drive for digitalization of files, disposal of all obsolete articles, renovation
of rooms, toilets and providing pure and clean drinking water to all employees.
****
UM/NP/MS