Mangaluru:Union Minister of State for Drinking Water and Sanitation Ramesh Jigajinagi said cleanliness is not the duty of the administration alone, but it is the duty of every citizen.

He was speaking after launching the fourth phase of the cleanliness campaign organised by Ramakrishna Mission at Ramakrishna Mutt here on Friday. Jigajinagi said, “Cleanliness should start from our minds. When there is a clean environment, the thoughts are pure. By taking initiative to keep our surroundings clean, one can contribute towards a healthy society,” he added.

Referring to the recent developments, he said that girls in North India demand toilets at their in-laws’ houses and do not agree to get married into the households without toilets. He said that the cleanliness campaign organised by Ramakrishna Mission should not be confined to the Mission alone, but other organisations too should join hands in realising the dream of ‘Swaccha Mangaluru’ and ‘Swaccha Dakshina Kannada’.

Mangaluru Ramakrishna Mutt President Jitakamanandaji said that the Swachh Bharat campaign was flagged off by the prime minister on October 2, 2014. As part of the campaign, Ramakrishna Mission has been conducting cleanliness drives with the help of general public, students and members of various organisations. Three phases have been held successfully and the fourth one has been started now, he added.

Campaign coordinator Swami Ekagamyanandaji said new programmes, under the theme ‘Clean Mind and Clean Thoughts’, have been formulated by Ramakrishna Mission. Awareness programmes will be conducted in rural areas in this regard, he said.

Swaccha Mangaluru programme will be held every day, under the fourth phase of the campaign. A target has been set to reach 30,000 families in 10 months and 60 groups have been formed in this regard. The group members will visit every house in various localities between 5 pm and 7 pm. Handbills will be distributed and information will be disseminated on waste segregation. The first cleanliness drive under the fourth phase will be initiated by Union Minister Anant Kumar Hegade on November 5 at 9 am. M P Nalin Kumar Kateel, Swami Muktanandaji Maharaj, MRPL MD H Kumar and others will take part.

MLC and Opposition Chief Whip in Legislative Council Capt Ganesh Karnik, MP Nalin Kumar Kateel, Zilla Panchayat President Meenakshi and Nitte University Chancellor N Vinay Hegde were present. Handbills on ‘Swaccha Chinthana’ were released by the minister on the occasion. Brooms and baskets were distributed to the representatives of various organisations.

The Union government has set a target to supply clean water to every household under National Rural Drinking Water Supply Prpgramme — ‘Har Jal Ghar’ programme — will be implemented at a cost of Rs 5 lakh crore by 2030, Jigajanagi said. By 2019, India will be declared free from open defecation and 5.21 crore individual toilets have been built so far, after the Swacch Bharat programme came into being, he added. As many as 2.67 lakh villages, 1.17 lakh Gram Panchayats, 225 districts and 2,048 taluks have already been declared free from open defecation and 70.62 % people have toilets and Rs 13,948 crore grants have been utilised for the same.