New Delhi: 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. TheSwachh 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.
