Photo Courtesy: India Today Group
Gangtok: Sikkim sparked its state-wide cleanliness drive with 1,000 diyas at Gangtok’s Ridge Park on September 17. The event honored Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his birthday. Governor Om Prakash Mathur and Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang led the kickoff. They are pushing the Swachhata Hi Seva campaign through October 2. It demands sustained sanitation and better waste systems.
Participants took a formal pledge during the ceremony. They promised to put in 100 hours of community service every year. The Urban Development Department also debuted the logo for the Clean Hill Himalayan Cities Initiative. This effort targets scientific waste handling in mountain urban centers. Officials moved fast. They flagged off 17 specialized vehicles, including five mobile treatment units, two cesspool trucks, and 10 resource recovery vehicles for Gram Panchayat Units.
The state also accepted two ambulances from the SBI CSR initiative. One will support the Soreng Primary Health Centre, while the other goes to Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya. The government wants a total team effort. The goal is a “Whole of Government and Whole of Society” approach, involving both rural and urban areas. Nine local Self Help Groups received an initial payment of Rs 25,000 each under the Swachh Sheher Abhiyaan. These groups will handle door-to-door waste collection and composting efforts.
Key state leaders attended the launch. Rural Development Minister Arun Kumar Upreti, Urban Development Minister Bhoj Raj Rai, and Chief Secretary R Telang monitored the proceedings.
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