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Itanagar: Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu on Wednesday called upon the people of the state not to confine the concept of ‘Swachchata’ (cleanliness) to just a day but make it a way of life.
Speaking on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the Swachh Bharat Mission – culminating on Gandhi Jayanti here, he lauded the people across the state who participated in the 17-day long Swachchata Hi Seva campaign that began on September 17, by organizing rallies, cleanliness drives and other programmes to drive home the significance of cleanliness.
“The last 15 days of the Swachhata Hi Seva campaign have shown incredible dedication from officers, NGOs, and civil society. As we move forward, let’s make cleanliness a lifelong practice, not limited to a fortnight or a day!” he said.
Recalling the message of Mahatma Gandhi for a ‘Clean Environment, Clean Body and Clean Mind’, Khandu emphasized that cleanliness is not only about being physically clean but to develop a clean mind, an official communiqué informed. “A polluted mind will produce negative thoughts, which can have a ripple effect on society. So let’s strive for a clean mind, body, and surroundings,” he said.
Khandu observed that the significance of a clean environment, body and mind was known to the Indians since ages but said that no government before had brought the issue to the forefront and made a national mission.
“Prime Minister Narendra Modi will go down in history as the first Prime Minister of India to start ‘cleanliness’ as a janandolan across the nation. During his first Independence Day speech from the Red Fort in 2014 as the Prime Minister, he started the Swachh Bharat Mission. In these 10 years, the Mission has reached every nook and corner of the country making it a janandolan,” he said. Earlier in the morning, Khandu joined the mass cleanliness drive with Shramdhan for Swachhata at R K Mission Hospital, here, the communiqué added.
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