Swacch Mangaluru campaign effort lauded

Union Minister for Urban Development M Venkaiah Naidu said that the Union government is planning to impose penalty against those who fail to maintain cleanliness and litter in public places. 

He was speaking on Sunday at the thanksgiving ceremony as part of the Swacch Mangaluru campaign – which has included 40 successful drives in the City – a pilot project of the Ramakrishna Mission.

Naidu said a three-fold strategy was taken up for the success of the Swaccha Bharath Abhiyan. “In the first phase, awareness on the need for hygiene was created among the citizens. In the second phase, the State government and the local administrative bodies will take the initiative to provide public and community toilets, parking space and other infrastructure. After the success of the second phase, if the people fail to maintain cleanliness, then the Centre is planning to impose penalty,” Naidu warned.

“Many people have told me that the Swaccha Bharath Abhiyan will not be successful unless there is a strict rule to impose penalty against offenders. During my visit to Singapore, I noticed how people maintained cleanliness in their surroundings, fearing heavy fine. Imposing penalty is the last resort, and will be adopted only after creating awareness among the people on cleanliness,” he added.

Reiterating the need for the public participation in the success of a programme, the Union minister said that citizens should join hands with the government in finding a solution to the problem, and that there is a need to motivate people to do so. “It is the duty of a citizen to maintain his or her surroundings clean. The Swaccha Bharath Abhiyan is not a campaign of the Union government alone. It is a people’s movement. For the success of the drive and to develop infrastructure facilities, the Centre is providing 25 per cent of the grant. The remaining grant should be shared by the State government and the local administrative bodies,” he explained.

“The Ramakrishna Mission has taken Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s call for a clean India seriously and made an effort in implementing the Swaccha Bharat Mission effectively. The aim of Swaccha Bharat is to make the country free of open defecation and implement scientific waste management by 2019,” said Naidu.

Swami Srikantananda, president of the Ramakrishna Mutt, Pune, said, “First of all, we need external cleanliness and then internal purity in our mind. Change in attitude can change the world. There is a need to create awareness among the youth. Without proper guidance, the youth are at the crossroads and fall prey to wrong doings.”

MLC Capt Ganesh Karnik said that, with cooperation of the people of Mangaluru, the Mutt will start its second phase of the drive. Awareness programmes will also be conducted in various schools and colleges, he added.