J&K celebrates birth anniversaries of Mahatma Gandhi, Lal Bahadur Shastri

Srinagar : To commemorate the 152nd birth anniversary of the Father of Nation-Mahatma Gandhi, and 117th birth anniversary of former Prime Minister, Lal Bahadur Shastri, Lieutenant Governor, Manoj Sinha led the celebrations by administering the Swachhta Pledge to officers and officials at Raj Bhavan and Civil Secretariat here today.Speaking on the occasion, the Lt Governor said that the pledge is a resolve of the J&K Government and every individual to take forward the ideals espoused by the two great leaders.The Lt Governor said Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) Urban-2.0 and Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT)-2.0 launched by Hon’ble Prime Minister Narendra Modi on October 01, 2021, envisions clean urban spaces and water secure cities and we need to work on a mission mode to meet the targets in a time bound manner.He also stressed for completing the prestigious projects under AMRUT Mission 1.0 at the earliest.Following the ideals of Mahatma Gandhi a Swatchhta Pakhwada shall be observed across the UT.

From 3rd to 18th October various cleanliness activities will be conducted in the civil secretariat and field offices across the UT in a planned manner.The Lt Governor advised the Deputy Commissioners to generate a sense of competition among the people of their respective districts. It is necessary to have competition in all the 20 districts, so that residents are motivated to keep their cities, towns, and mohallas clean and free from waste, he added.Underlining the significant role of the PRIs and Urban Local Bodies to make the Swachh Abhiyan successful, the Lt Governor urged the members of PRIs and government officers to work on innovative ideas like adoption of a lake/ water body, adoption of a school or places of public importance for cleanliness drive.Dr. Arun Kumar Mehta, Chief Secretary; Sh. Atal Dulloo, Additional Chief Secretary, Finance Department; Sh. Vivek Bhardwaj, Additional Chief Secretary, Health and Medical Education Department; Sh. Nitishwar Kumar, Principal Secretary to the Lt Governor; Administrative Secretaries, Divisional Commissioners, IG Kashmir DCs, SPs, and other senior officers of the various government departments and agencies participated in the Swachhta Pledge, in person, and through virtual mode.