Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh Urban Development and Energy Minister A.K. Sharma paid tribute to Mahatma Gandhi and former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri on Gandhi Jayanti and highlighted the importance of cleanliness and environmental conservation as collective responsibilities.
Sharma attended a programme at Raghuvar Marriage Hall in the Indira Priyadarshini Ward, where he garlanded portraits of Gandhi and Shastri. He said Gandhi was a strong advocate of cleanliness and regarded it as a foundation for a healthy and empowered society. According to Sharma, Prime Minister Narendra Modi subsequently transformed Gandhi’s vision of a clean India into a mass movement and public awareness campaign.
The minister praised sanitation workers across the country for advancing the cleanliness mission. Referring to the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan logo, he said Gandhi’s spectacles were chosen as its symbol, with “Swachh Bharat” written across the two lenses to convey the campaign’s message.
Sharma said Lucknow’s sanitation workers and other stakeholders had contributed to the city securing third position nationally in the Swachh Survekshan and first position in the air cleanliness category. He described the achievements as the result of collective efforts by sanitation workers, officials, elected representatives and citizens.
He interacted with sanitation workers, heard about their work and concerns, and distributed toolkits and certificates of appreciation. He also administered a cleanliness pledge and called for greater public participation in building a clean and healthy Lucknow.
Mayor Sushma Kharkwal also paid tribute to Gandhi and Shastri, recalling their messages of cleanliness, truth, service, simplicity, honesty and patriotism.
Later, Sharma visited a park at Munshipulia, where he garlanded the statue of Kargil martyr Captain Mukesh Srivastava. As part of the “Swachhata Hi Seva” initiative, he participated in shramdaan and planted saplings. He said cleanliness and environmental protection were closely connected and called upon citizens to share responsibility for maintaining clean cities and a healthy environment.
Municipal Commissioner Gaurav Kumar, Additional Municipal Commissioner, former councillor Ram Kumar Verma, councillor Kalpana Verma, other public representatives, local residents and a large number of sanitation workers attended the programmes.
