Cleanliness drives, awareness campaigns launched in Ganga-linked states

New Delhi [India], October 4 : A massive cleanliness and awareness campaigns were launched in the states where river Ganga flows, on the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti, according to a release by the Ministry of Jal Shakti.
The Ministry said that volunteers and 'Ganga Doots' associated with the 'Namami Gange Mission', are playing an excellent role in Ganga cleanliness through their efforts.
Many voluntary organisations like Sparsh Ganga and Being Bhagirath also took part in the cleanliness drive. The ghats of Yamuna River were also cleaned in many districts.
Besides the cleanliness drive, awareness campaigns are being run from Uttarakhand to West Bengal.
People got to see many Gangetic dolphins in the river during the campaign.
According to the Jal Shakti Ministry, a cleanliness drive was also seen in Uttar Pradesh's Ballia district, where the Ganga Yatra started from the river bank at Korantadih. The team of the District Ganga Committee including Minister of State Upendra Tiwari, District Magistrate SP Shahi were also involved in the Yatra.
Tiwari said, "The three-day program of Ganga Yatra is a very commendable effort towards making Mother Ganga aviral and nirmal." He also asked the volunteers to vow that "when Ganga is called mother, we will not put any kind of filth or garbage in it."
The minister called upon everyone to give half an hour daily for cleanliness, so they can easily realize the dream of Swachh Bharat (Clean India).
The Ballia District Magistrate informed that Ganga passes through a distance of 120 kilometres of about 50-gram panchayats in the district.
"The program has been planned by connecting both cleanliness and Ganga. Gandhiji's dream was Swachh Bharat and this program also has the same purpose," Shahi said.
In Varanasi, the Ganga cleanliness campaign was carried out on the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti at the Ganga Ghat Varanasi by the Eco Skilled Ganga Mitras, in which people were made aware of the importance of the cleanliness of the river Ganga.
"In the program, under the direction of BD Tripathi, Scientific Professor of MahamanaMalaviya Ganga Research Center, Kashi Hindu University, Varanasi, the people are also constantly working on 5 aspects of Ganga (Spiritual Ganga, Nirmal Ganga, Aviral Ganga, Earth Ganga, and Ecological Ganga)," read a release by the Ministry of Jal Shakti.
The cleanliness drive was also organised in Ganga village Bijhauli in Prayagraj by the National Mission for Clean Ganga, Ministry of Jal Shakti, and Nehru Yuva Kendra with the participation of 'Ganga Doots' and other members.
During the drive, all the guidelines related to COVID-19 were followed.
Moreover, a large number of sanitation programs were also carried out in Uttar Pradesh's many districts including Prayagraj, Bijnore, Farrukhabad, Bulandshahar, Fatehpur, Ghazipur, Kanpur, Kannauj.
Uttarakhand Province Convenor Lokendra Singh Bisht appealed to people to join the cleanliness drive in Uttarkashi for the successful implementation of Swachh Bharat Abhiyan launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi along with Ganga VicharManch, District Administration and Municipal Corporation workers and pay tribute to Mahatma Gandhi.
Ganga Ghats and other places were cleaned by volunteers and 'Ganga Doots' in almost all Ganga blocks of Patna district.
Various competitions including Ganga Swachhata and Awareness Campaign were also organised in Murshidabad, Diamond Harbor and Hooghly in West Bengal.
"These programs, in collaboration with the Nehru Yuva Kendra and NamamiGange, aimed to cooperate in cleaning Ganga by adding more and more people so that concrete steps can be taken in the coming days to make the Ganga clean," read the release.
According to the Ministry, the main focus of these programs was on keeping the Ganga clean and to make people aware, so that this campaign can be accelerated by changing their behaviour.
During the drive, the emphasis was also laid on making villages situated on the banks of Ganga, open defecation-free and polythene-free.