From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network

Bengaluru, Aug 2: Karnataka government on Thursday, August 2, launched ‘Swachha Meva Jayate’ campaign to make every citizen in rural Karnataka take a pledge of cleanliness.

A special pledge to be administered across the state as part of the campaign, says, “When every village, every district of Karnataka is clean, practices hygienic toilet habits is free from stagnant water and litter free, Karnataka will win. Swachha Meva Jayate!”

Dr G Parameshwara, deputy chief minister of Karnataka, launched the campaign at an event today, in the presence of Law and Paliamentary Affairs Minister Krishna Byre Gowda, and other dignitaries.

The event, held in front of the Mahatma Gandhi statue between the Vidhana Soudha and Vikas Soudha, was attended by primary and high school students who took the pledge of cleanliness.

“It is our duty as citizens of the state, to ensure our land and our environment is protected and conserved. A huge part of that is ensuring we all keep our surroundings clean, and follow hygienic practices. We hope this campaign will help take that message far and wide,” the chief minister H D Kumaraswamy, said in his message for the event.

The department of Rural Development also released the logo of the campaign, a little boy and a little girl standing in front of the map of Karnataka.

Talking about the campaign for a clean and hygienic Karnataka, Krishna Byre Gowda, rural development minister, said, “To truly take the message far and wide, the government has decided to focus on children as drivers of this message.’’

“While adult behaviour towards hygiene will take time and effort to change, children are a lot more amenable to change. Children are spontaneous, honest and full of infectious energy. They have the power to create the India of tomorrow,’’ he said.

The campaign coincides with the Swachh Survekshan Grameen 2018 (SSG 2018) survey, being undertaken by the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation, under the Swachh Bharat Mission (Grameen).

The survey will rank all Indian districts and states on the basis of qualitative and quantitative evaluation of sanitation status of the villages and will run from August 1 to 31.

While the survey will target 698 districts, 6,980 villages, 34,900 public places randomly across the country, Swachha Meva Jayate will aim to take messages about the parameters of the survey to every rural household in Karnataka.

The survey will measure and rank villages across India on the basis of availability and access to toilets, cleanliness of public spaces, and feedback and opinions of citizens.

While Karnataka has already taken leadership in improving civic infrastructure and public hygiene, compared to other states, the government knows that cleanliness is not a one-time project. In order to drive home the message, it is using this Swachcha Meva Jayate campaign to further inform and educate the rural citizens.

“Children will play a key role in spreading awareness about the various parameters in every district, every village,” said the minister.