Lucknow: On International Youth Day, Uttar Pradesh’s Urban Development and Energy Minister A.K. Sharma honoured the members of Swachh Sarathi Club, young students, Swachh Warriors and Swachhta Ambassadors of the bodies who spread the message of cleanliness and made people aware of cleanliness. On this occasion, he unveiled the logo of Swachh Sarathi Club for spreading the message of cleanliness and released the coffee table book ‘Kabad Se Jugaad’ Waste to Vendor. To awaken the spirit of nationalism and patriotism among the people, he launched the Har Ghar Tiranga awareness rally and led the rally.
Urban Development Minister A.K. Sharma participated as the chief guest in the Swachh Sarathi Club felicitation ceremony organized at the Urban Bodies Directorate. Addressing the program, he said that more than 65,000 members, Swachh Warriors and Swachhta Ambassadors of all the 5,000 Swachh Sarathi Clubs associated with Swachh Bharat Mission Urban are the charioteers of cleanliness in the state. They not only create public awareness about cleanliness, but also guide. He said that 02 lakh Swachh Sarathi members will be made in the coming one year.
Youths have an important contribution in fulfilling the resolution of Hon’ble Prime Minister for a clean India and developed India, 60 to 65 percent of the country has youth participation. No work can be completed without youth. Explaining to the youth present about the ancient glory of India, he said that India was the cleanest, richest and most beautiful country in the world in ancient times, it was called the golden bird. Foreign invaders came and looted the splendor and wealth of this place and made this country poor. Our country had a quarter share in the world’s GDP thousands of years ago, British economist Angus Medicine has also written that in the 16th and 17th centuries, India had a fifth share in the world’s GDP.
Our Indus Valley civilization was a fully developed urban system. In urban management, the Indus Valley civilization is the best example in the world, similarly our country was called Vishwa Guru, the world’s oldest centers of education Nalanda and Takshila were in our country itself. All inventions were done by the people of our country. Even today, from the CEO of Google to all the industrialists and scientists, they are somehow connected to India and all of them consider the sages and inventions of this country as their source of inspiration.
The Urban Development Minister said that wealth and God reside in cleanliness, with everyone’s cooperation, India has to be made clean and prosperous again with its ancient glory. He said that all the members of Sarathi Club should make people aware, so that the feeling of now having to move ahead with cleanliness does not prevail. From 5:00 in the morning, the sanitation workers reach the streets and roads with brooms, but people wake up after the cleaning is done and people throw out the garbage of their houses after cleaning.
Throwing household garbage like TV, refrigerator cardboard etc. in the drains causes obstruction in water drainage. Everyone should make efforts for plastic liberation, processing will be easy if wet and dry garbage is given separately. Everyone should take a pledge to clean the roads, lanes and alleys around them. To realize the saying ‘Cleanliness is next to Godliness’, include the leading persons of the society as Swachhata Warriors, this will inspire the society.
The Urban Development Minister said that Waste to Vendor Parks are being constructed in all the urban bodies, 711 parks have been constructed so far. Two such parks have been constructed in Lucknow, UP Darshan Park is built in 05 acres, in which Taj Mahal, Kashi Vishwanath Temple, Imambara, Banke Bihari Temple etc. have been built from waste material. Similarly, Happiness Park has also been built where school children should be taken for a tour, so that the children get inspiration.
The Urban Development Minister presented the Swachh Warrior Award for public awareness for cleanliness to UP Adarsh Vyapar Mandal President Sanjay Gupta, News 18 Editor Alok Kumar Shukla, Rajesh Chauhan, Virendra Agarwal. Similarly, the Swachhata Brand Ambassador award was given to Ajay Kumar Shukla, brand ambassador of Gorakhpur Municipal Corporation and head of English department in Gorakhpur University and Pratik, brand ambassador of Lucknow Municipal Corporation. The Swachhata Sarathi Club award was given to Snigdha Tiwari, a student of City Montessori School and Vishwanath Singh, a student of Atal Bihari Vajpayee Degree College. Along with this, cleanliness certificates were given to one thousand people including young student members of Swachhata Sarathi Club, members of Swachhata Vatavaran Protsahan Samiti, women of self-help groups.
Minister of State for Urban Development Rakesh Rathore ‘Guru’ said on this occasion that 25 to 30 years ago, polythene was not used in our country, everyone used to go to the market with a bag. Everyone used to cooperate in cleanliness, there was cleanliness all around. He said that cleanliness is an integral part of life, for this everyone will have to come forward. To make the country clean, everyone will have to cooperate in cleaning work together. Garbage spreads here and there even due to small mistakes of all of us. We should always use dustbins to throw garbage, separate dry and wet garbage and give it to the garbage vehicle. We can all take steps towards cleanliness by cooperating in small cleaning tasks. Principal Secretary Amrit Abhijat said that to make India a developed and strong country by the year 2047, cleanliness drive is the most important task.
The youth will have to fulfill their responsibility towards the community. The members of Sarathi Club have an important role in ensuring that the garbage segregation is done properly in every household. Many useful things can be made by recycling the garbage. The use of plastic in daily life should be completely stopped, all citizens should fulfill their responsibility. Work should be done on the concept of waste to wealth. Green plantation is being promoted to improve the air quality of cities. Miyawaki parks are being built.
Secretary Urban Development Ajay Kumar Shukla, Director Urban Bodies Anuj Kumar Jha, Special Secretary Mahendra Bahadur Singh, Additional Director Ritu Suhas along with thousands of members of Swachh Sarathi Club from various schools like CMS, Parivarish School, Atal Bihari Vajpayee Municipal Corporation Degree College were present in the program.
