Indian Railways launches 'Swachhata Hi Seva Campaign', initiative to go on till Oct 2

Railway employees take a pledge to champion cleanliness.

Railway Board Chief Executive Officer and Chairman Satish Kumar launched the ‘Swachhata Hi Seva Campaign' at a ceremony held in the conference hall of Rail Bhawan, New Delhi, on Tuesday, September 17. During the event, Kumar asked the railway employees to take a pledge to champion cleanliness. This year, the theme of the Swachhata Hi Seva Campaign is 'Swabhav Swachhata - Sanskar Swachhata'. The campaign will conclude on October 2 with the ‘Swachh Bharat Diwas', marking the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.

During the event, Kumar emphasised on the crucial importance of maintaining cleanliness across all facets of life - homes, workplaces, communities and the country as a whole. He reflected on Gandhi's broader vision, which went beyond political freedom to encompass a clean and flourishing India. "Mahatma Gandhi envisioned a Nation that was not only politically liberated but also clean and developed. He freed Mother India from the bonds of slavery and now it is our duty to serve our nation by eradicating filth. We pledge to remain vigilant about cleanliness, to dedicate time to this cause and to ensure that we neither create nor tolerate any filth," said Kumar.

The Swachhata Hi Seva Campaign will be carried out in Mumbai as well.

The initiative will be implemented on trains, railway colonies and production units across the country. Since 2017, this fortnightly campaign has been a key component of the Swachh Bharat Mission, which is a collaborative effort of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs and the Ministry of Jal Shakti.

Last year, the Indian Railways mobilised around 2.5 lakh people, contributing over 7 lakh hours of labour across around 6,823 railway stations. During the campaign, the railways undertook tree-planting drives, waste cleanup efforts, and organised street plays with non-governmental organisations (NGOs), religious groups and school children.

The Swachh Bharat Abhiyan is the most significant cleanliness campaign by the Government of India. The Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM), Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, or Clean India Mission is a country-wide campaign initiated by the Government of India on October 2, 2014, to eliminate open defecation and improve solid waste management and to create Open Defecation Free (ODF) villages. The initiative also aims to increase awareness of menstrual health management.