Narendra Modi’s Clean India Campaign sweeps the nation

It was a rare but pleasant surprise to see college students take up brooms and dustpans to clean up public spaces.
Young minds, along with the support of their teachers, took to the streets with brooms and other cleaning equipment on a public holiday.
Around 200 students of St Albert’s College, Kochi, participated in the campaign on Gandhi Jayanti. The two sides of Banerji Road were cleaned of plastic and paper waste, empty bottles within two hours.M L Joseph, NSS programme officer of the college, says, “We are planning to make it a permanent affair. Once in a month, the cleaning will be done. We want to make it a green drive as well, so along with the help of shopkeepers we’ll next plant trees in and around the city and inside the campus. We will also clean the surrounding areas.”
The students of St Teresa’s College have formed a Swachh Sena club, which is responsible for the maintenance of hygiene and cleanliness in the college. Vice chairperson Hana Ashraf says, “On October 1, Mayor Tony Chammany inaugurated the club and 30 students from each department along with union members and NSS students hit the streets as part of the campaign.”
From Convent Junction, the students cleaned the Press Club Road, Mullassery Canal Road, Park Avenue Road and the nearby areas surrounding in and around the art and science block of the college. “The Swachh Sena club will have two representatives from each class and proper guidelines will be set, which has to be followed by every student in the college. This includes keeping the campus clean and green,” added the student.
Before picking up the brooms, students of Rajagiri School of Social Work performed a street play making the citizens aware of the cleanliness drive at Kalamassery Premiere Junction. The cleaning began from the third ward of Kalamassery Municipality where the students collected all the plastic waste from the roadside. “Along with the teachers, 23 students of social work came forward to support the PM’s clean initiative,” says Shinto Varghese, assistant professor.
Recently, the university grants commission (UGC) had written to universities and colleges to impart value education to students saying that it is a part of their responsibility as good citizens to keep their environment clean.
Celebs support the campaign
After initiating the My Tree Challenge, megastar Mammootty is now supporting Narendra Modi’s Clean India Campaign. The actor posted on his social networking page, “Happy and proud to see our PM initiating the ‘Clean India Challenge’, I too support this good cause Initiative and I will do my part and will request all my fans and well-wishers to do the same…we need more good cause campaigns. Don’t wait, Act wisely. WE ARE THE CHANGE !!"
Meanwhile, actor Govind Padmasoorya, who recently urged his friends and fans to join the drive through his online page, says, “I believe that the first thing we should try doing is to not litter. I know it’s tough to find dustbins often but this is the least we can do.”
The PM has nominated several national celebrities to take up the challenge which include master blaster Sachin Tendulkar, Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, industrialist Anil Ambani and actors Salman Khan, Priyanka Chopra and Kamal Haasan, who in turn have been asked to nominate nine others each.
Ulaga Nayagan posted a video online thanking Modi for including him among the nine celebrities. In the video, the actor mentioned that he believes this is not a new duty that he has been appointed to and it is a recognition of what he already has been doing. The actor has been a part of a cleansing project for the past 20 years and with the help of his fans has associated with social service organisations. Haasan went on to say that he considered the mission to be a nation building exercise and that rather than nine more people, he would invite “nine million to invite another nine million”.
Cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar accepted the PM’s challenge and said, Swachh Bharati, Sach Bharati. He asked all the Indians to join hands for the cause and make India a clean place to live in.