Lakhs of central government employees Thursday took a pledge to ensure cleanliness in their offices and residential areas by working at least two hours per week as part of Narendra Modi administration’s “Swachh Bharat” Mission.
Each central government department had made detailed arrangements to administer the pledge to its employees on the occasion of Mahatma Gandhi’s birth anniversary today.
It is for the first time that all employees from the level of peons to Secretary were called to the office on ‘Gandhi Jayanti’, which is otherwise a government-declared holiday, to be part of the ‘Clean India’ campaign.
Banners displaying message of maintaining cleanliness at work place and surroundings were put up on the central government office buildings and along the road sides to encourage people.
Some of the employees were also given specially-designed T-shirts displaying messages for maintaining cleanliness.
Home Secretary Anil Goswami administered the pledge to the employees of Ministry of Home Affairs and Ministry of Personnel. Hundreds of employees participated in the programme and took the pledge.
“It is like a celebration. Employees are celebrating this. Cleanliness is a continuous process. I am sure employees will continue to ensure cleanliness in office and in living areas,” said Mamta Kundra, Joint Secretary in Ministry of Personnel.
There are about 30.98 lakh central government employees in the country.
Employees took a pledge to remain committed towards cleanliness. “I will devote 100 hours per year, that is two hours per week to voluntary work for cleanliness. I will neither litter nor let others litter. I will initiate the quest for cleanliness with myself, my family, my locality, my village and my work place,” reads the pledge, administered to the employees by senior officials.
