Railway Board Chairman Satish Kumar Launches Swachhata Pakhwada at Rail Bhawan
Shri Satish Kumar, Chairman and CEO, Railway Board, today, inaugurated the Swachhata Pakhwada programme at Rail Bhawan, New Delhi. The initiative, which will be observed from 1st to 15th October 2024, reinforces Indian Railways’ commitment to promoting a clean and green environment. To mark the occasion, around 2,000 saplings were distributed among Railway officials under the ‘Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam’ campaign.
At the inaugural event, Shri Satish Kumar administered the Swachhata Pledge in the conference hall of Rail Bhawan. Senior Railway officials from field units across India also participated via video conferencing, inaugurating Swachhata Pakhwada in their respective regions. Shri Satish Kumar encouraged Railway officials to uphold cleanliness not only during the campaign but throughout the year. He appreciated the efforts of General Managers (GMs) and Divisional Railway Managers (DRMs) over the past decade and urged them to focus on random inspections, surprise checks, cleanliness monitoring, and effective scrap disposal.
This year, Indian Railways is celebrating the 10th anniversary of Swachh Bharat Mission with a campaign called Swachata Hi Seva (SHS) 2024. The campaign focuses on making India cleaner and healthier.Various events related to cleanliness, such as Swachhata Ki Bhaagidari, Sampoorna Swachhata & Swachhata Lakshit Ekayi (CTU-Cleanliness target units), and SafaiMitra Suraksha Camps/Shivirs, are being organized. A total of 20,135 Cleanliness Target Units (CTUs) have been identified for cleanliness, and 48,739 events with different cleanliness-related activities and 26,524 Jan Bhaagidari events have been organized across Indian Railways during the SHS campaign. Additionally, 2,080 SafaiMitra Suraksha Shivirs/Health camps have been organized for the well-being of SafaiMitras.
A detailed day-to-day activity programme has been provided to all Railway field units for Swachhata Pakhwada. The programme emphasizes the cleanliness of railway tracks adjacent to stations and in urban/semi-urban areas, as well as the cleaning of drains, toilets, railway colonies, and Railway buildings/establishments. Extensive awareness campaigns will be conducted through digital media and public announcements to educate people on the use of bio-toilets, reducing single-use plastic, and adopting cleanliness habits.
As part of the event, A skit performance was organised by Railway Board’s officials to spread awareness on cleanliness among people. Winners of the essay competition on ‘Swabhav Swachhata – Sanskaar Swachhata’ were felicitated by Shri Satish Kumar. A health camp was also organised for Railway Board personnel engaged in cleanliness activities, covering approximately 120 individuals.
Indian Railways remains committed to conducting cleanliness campaigns through a ‘Whole of Society Approach’, emphasizing public participation and ensuring that sanitation becomes everyone’s responsibility.