Raisen (Madhya Pradesh) [India], September 21 : Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Sunday participated in a cleanliness drive organised in the Avantika Colony in Madhya Pradesh's Raisen under the 'Seva Pakhwada' initiative.
The Union Minister also attended a blood donation camp and planted trees under the initiative launched by the Bharatiya Janata Party on September 17.
"BJP has kicked off a nationwide Seva Pakhwada (service fortnight), coinciding with the Prime Minister's birthday, Deendayal Upadhyaya's birthday on September 25, and Mahatma Gandhi's birthday on October 2. As part of this, the party has organised various programmes. We're just back from the tree plantation drive. Next, we'll be attending a blood donation camp. Here, a cleanliness drive was organised in Avantika Colony," Chouhan told reporters.
Chouhan lauded India's sanitation ranking under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, highlighting poor progress in the sector before 2014. He also informed that during the cleanliness drive program, the people took an oath to conduct such drives for two hours, 100 days, and following which they would be called "cleanliness champions."
"Do you know how India's situation was before 2014? Our country had a very poor ranking in sanitation, and other countries would often comment on it. But when the Prime Minister picked up the broom, the entire country picked it up, and now cleanliness is visible everywhere. However, a lot of work needs to be done, as cleanliness is not a one-day job... Today, there is an oath program for this, and people have taken an oath that they will clean for 2 hours a week for 100 days a year. And with this, they will try to become cleanliness champions. We have all resolved to spread the message of cleanliness everywhere and to strive to maintain cleanliness ourselves, so that next year, Raisen district will also come in the race for cleanliness," he added.
The Bharatiya Janata Party has launched a two-week-long Seva Pakhwada on the occasion of PM Modi's birthday, and that will conclude on Mahatma Gandhi's birth anniversary on October 2.