Nagaland launches 'Swacchta Hi Seva' campaign

Kohima, Sep 17 (PTI) Nagaland on Tuesday launched the 'Swacchta Hi Seva' campaign with a call to take up the responsibility of managing their own waste.
    Launching the campaign, Principal Secretary of Public Health Engineering Department, E Mhonbemo Patton sought the cooperation of all stakeholders including urban local bodies and village councils as well as general public towards the success of the programme.
    This is the 10th edition of the campaign, he said, adding that a lot of efforts are being taken to spread the message that sanitation is everyone's business.
    Commissioner and Secretary for Urban Development Department and Municipal Affairs, Kekhrievor Kevichusa said that Swacchta Hi Seva aims to raise awareness about cleanliness and hygiene through community participation, while this year's theme is "Swabhav Swachata, Sanskar Swacchta" - cleanliness of nature, cleanliness of culture.
    In this, the state would move ahead with the campaign through three innovative approaches which include adopting the slogan 'Moi laga jabrah, moi laga kaam' (my waste, my responsibility) and adopting the 'Lao-Ong-Mo' festival, a post-harvest celebration of the Konyak Naga tribe, which falls on September 28 and is observed by cleaning footpaths and streets with community celebration.
    The campaign steering committee of the state has also decided to prolong the Swachhata campaign till November 30, to coincide with the start of Hornbill Festival and participate in the 2 mass social work programme of the state planned in October and November, he said.
    The cleanliness campaign is an annual fortnight long cleanliness drive usually from the second half of September till October 2 to coincide with Gandhi Jayanti.
    It is a part of the Swachh Bharat Mission which aims to eliminate open defecation, create open defecation-free (ODF) villages and improve both solid and liquid waste management.
    The mission consists of two parts – urban and rural (or grameen).
    Kevichusa informed that the two government departments – Urban Development and PHE have identified 189 black spots in 39 urban areas and 23 in rural areas in the state for cleanliness and maintenance during the campaign period.
    The senior bureaucrat also administered the Swachhta pledge on the occasion.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)