Over 6.4 lakh sites adopted for Shramdaan from urban and rural India for mega cleanliness drive: Union Minister Hardeep Puri

New Delhi [India], September 30 : Union Housing and Urban Affairs minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Friday informed that over 6.4 lakh sites have been adopted for shramdaan from urban and rural India. 
While interacting with media on ‘Swachhata Hi Seva’, Hardeep Singh Puri said, "Over 6.4 lakh sites have been adopted for shramdaan from urban and rural India. The mega cleanliness drive aims to clean Garbage Vulnerable Points, railway tracks and stations, airports and surrounding areas, roadsides – Stretches of National and State Highways, water bodies, ghats, slums, under bridges, market spaces, back lanes, places of worship, tourist spots, bus stands/toll plazas, zoos and wildlife areas, gaushalas, hills, beaches, ports, residential areas, anganwadis, schools/colleges etc."
Minister informed the media that a large number of Resident Welfare Associations have come forward to volunteer for shramdaan in nearly 1 lakh residential areas while village communities have come forward to adopt around 35,000 anganwadi centres all over the nation.
"NGOs, market associations, SHGs, faith groups, trade bodies, private sector etc have come forward to do shramdaan in 22,000 market areas, 10,000 water bodies, nearly 7,000 bus stands/toll plazas, nearly 1000 gaushalas, nearly 300 zoos and wildlife areas and various locations that will have mega cleanliness drives in rural and urban India," he said. 
Adding further, the Minister said that in a first of its kind, the army, navy, and air force will be coming together with civilians to clean up various garbage-vulnerable places, railway tracks, heritage buildings, step-wells, and forts.
"Large stretches of the National Highway are being adopted for cleanliness by lead groups like Baba Ramdev’s Patanjali Yogpeeth and other local communities. Many coastal regions will be taken up for swachhata by eminent groups led by Afroz Shah and Sudarshan Patnaik. Sulabh International has come forward to adopt Community and Public Toilets for cleaning on the 1st of Oct," he said. 
Referring to the PM Modi clarion call for Swachhata 9 years ago in 2014, Hardeep Puri said that in response to the PM’s call citizens from all walks of life reciprocated with immense enthusiasm taking ownership of Swachh Bharat.
"As a result, swachhata became a national behaviour and Swachh Bharat Mission became a household name," he said.
"Ek Tareekh Ek Ghanta Ek Saath” is specifically about hard-core cleanliness activities – shramdaan for swachhata. This is not about pledges, plog runs, rangoli competitions, wall paintings, nukkad nataks. Shramdaan is only for cleanliness drives across the nation”, emphasised," he added. 
The theme of Swachhata Pakhwada 2023 is Garbage Free India.