Tarun Karthick
Port Blair, 02 October 2023
In response to the clarion call by the Hon’ble Prime Minister to observe Mass Shramdaan on October 1st, 2023, as a tribute to Mahatma Gandhi on his birth anniversary, the Directorate of RD, PRIs and ULBs, Andaman and Nicobar Administration, in collaboration with Gram Panchayat – Sippighat, organized a massive people-led cleanliness drive in the Bimblitan area.
The event, which aimed to promote cleanliness and environmental responsibility, was graced by the presence of Ms. Veditha Reddy, IAS, Secretary (RD/Panchayat), as a special guest, along with Shri Shiv Singh Meena, Director (RD/Panchayat), Ms. Jyothi Kumari, Pradhan of GP-Sippighat, and Ms. Sarika Devi, Zilla Parishad Member, Sippighat.
Despite challenging weather conditions, a diverse group of participants, including members of the general public, PRIs, government officials, commandos from Marcos, and volunteers from the Sant Nirankari Mission, actively joined forces for the Shramdaan initiative. They dedicated one hour of their time to visibly clean up the area, collecting and segregating a significant amount of plastic bottles, glass bottles, MLPs, and cans. These items were later transported to the Solid Waste Management cluster for recycling.
During the inaugural session, Mr. Mohammed Yunus M, EO/SNO(SBM-G), welcomed all participants to the cleanup drive, part of the Swachhata Hi Seva fortnight.
In his keynote address, Mr. Shiv Singh Meena, Director (RD/Panchayat), emphasized the importance of adopting behavioural changes toward waste management and stressed the collective responsibility of each individual toward a cleaner environment.
In a later part of the program, Sanitary Workers of GP-Sippighat were honored with Certificates of Appreciation for their relentless efforts toward the goal of “Zero Waste Islands.” These certificates were presented by the special guests. Secretary (RD/Panchayat), Ms. Veditha Reddy, congratulated the participants for their dedication to the cause of nature and highlighted that the event was part of the ongoing Swachhata Hi Seva campaign, which commenced on September 15th and will continue until October 2nd. She shared that over 1400 events were being conducted as part of the “01 Tareekh – 01 Ghanta – 01 Saath” campaign, mobilizing around 1.3 lakh individuals and sensitizing them on safe sanitation practices.
Ms. Veditha Reddy expressed her happiness over the turnout of a large number of the general public for the event and urged that such clean-up drives and Shramdaan activities be regularly conducted.
On this occasion, the special guests, along with other PRI dignitaries, paid floral tributes to Mahatma Gandhi. A Swachhata Shapath (cleanliness oath) was administered to all participants, reaffirming their commitment to cleanliness. The program concluded with a vote of thanks delivered by Pradhan, GP – Sippighat.
Similar events were conducted across the Islands as part of the campaign, attended by numerous individuals and led by senior officers and heads of PRIs, all echoing the message of cleanliness and environmental stewardship.