Mangaluru: In a first of its kind initiative, Ramakrishna Mission will, along with several civic groups, launch Swacchata awareness campaign five days in a week for 10 months in the city on Sunday.
Under this Swacchata Sampark Abhiyan, the Swacch Bharat Abhiyan volunteers will create awareness on cleanliness at identified locations from 6 p.m. to 7.30 p.m. daily, except on Sundays and Tuesdays.
Addressing presspersons here on Thursday, Swami Jitakamananda, secretary, Ramakrishna Mission, Mangaluru, said that the drive would be taken up as part of the fifth and final phase of the five-year Swacch Mangaluru campaign of the mission. This phase of the campaign will be launched on the same day.
The campaign will conclude on the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi on October 2, 2019. About 300 groups have now come forward to organise the five-day-a-week programme in the city.
“Cleanliness drives are more effective if awareness campaigns go together,” he said.
Swami Ekagamyananda, co-ordinator of the five-year abhiyan, said that the weekly five-day drive would focus on creating awareness on the duties and responsibilities of citizens in keeping their surroundings clean. There will be a demonstration on pot composting. Volunteers of the mission will address the people. “Programmes have been chalked out for four months,” he said.
Umanath Kotekar and Dilraj Alva, chief co-ordinators of the abhiyan, said that the fifth phase of the three-hour Shramdan on Sundays will start on December 2. It will be carried out on Sundays for the next 44 weeks. The volunteers will clean streets, drains and public toilets. They will re-build dilapidated bus stands and autorickshaw shelters and will convert roadside garbage dumping sites into gardens. Beautification of flyovers, removal of illegal flex banners and hoardings and distribution of awareness handbills will be part of this Shramdan.
Ranjan Bellarpady, chief co-ordinator, Swacch Manas and Swacch Soch Abhiyan, which will be launched on December 4, said that Swacch Manas Abhiyan will be conducted in 100 schools in the district for five months from June 2019. A student from each one of the 100 schools will be selected and given special training as Swacch Ambassadors.
The Swacch Soch seminars and workshops will be organised in 50 colleges of Dakshina Kannada and Udupi for three months from December 2018.
Ganesh Karnik, former MLC, spoke.