Jamshedpur, Oct 7 (IANS): Jharkhand’s Jamshedpur city is emerging as a shining example of the Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM), courtesy the residents turning a new leaf on parameters of cleanliness and hygiene. Today, they are also a happier lot over their city making a mark on the cleanliness index.

A couple of city dwellers, spoke to IANS, sharing their experiences and thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for initiating a ground-breaking initiative, which has changed the face of the city in the past ten years.

Vikas Kumar said, “There has been a lot of awareness and improvement in the country regarding cleanliness. Today, people are using dustbins everywhere. You can see that all the food shops and stalls are using dustbins. Earlier, wherever people used to eat food and then throw the plates there. Everyone should become an agent of change and cleanliness.”

Raj Singh, speaking to IANS said, “Habitants of Jamshedpur have turned it into a shining city. If you roam around the city, you will not see even the slightest of filth here. It’s because of the awareness generated by the Clean India Mission that people are keeping a check on themselves and making their city better.”

Another resident said, “Earlier people used to throw garbage anywhere but now there is growing attention towards maintaining hygiene in public places. Dustbins are being installed and people are also using them to throw garbage. In some cases, when some garbage is littered on the road, some seen anywhere, someone picks it up and throws it in the dustbin. All this is the contribution of PM Modi.”

“Earlier, people weren’t so keen on cleanliness. But, the Swachhata drive has brought lasting changes in people’s attitudes and behaviour. The entire society and country is getting the benefits of this scheme,” added a city resident.