Department of Pharmaceuticals to observe Swachhta Pakhwada Department of Pharmaceuticals under the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers, Government of India is observing Swachhata Pakhwada from 16-31st August, 2017. Honble Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has underlined the need for all Ministries and Departments to take up their Swachhata Pakhwada much more seriously and on a substantial scale in order to make clean Indian a reality. Action plan of Swachhata related activities prepared by the Department and circulated to all its organizations is being implemented. During the Swachhata Pakhwada, fortnight long cleanliness drives in the office/premises of the Department and autonomous institutes and public sector undertakings under its administrative control are being launched. The Department will carry out various activities relating to Swachhata such as weeding out of files, cleaning of office premises and Establishment etc. Further, the Department has involved various Pharma and Medical Devices Associations and their manufactures, traders, retailers and chemists in the country to contribute positively towards this important initiatives of the Government. On 14.08.2017, Secretary (Pharma) took a meeting of the representatives of the Pharma Industries and advised them to (i) create awareness about the cleanliness among the employees and neighborhood areas, (ii) to adopt a defined area and maintain its cleanliness with involvement of the local authorities even after the Swachhata Pakhwada, (iii) to generate awareness for cleanliness drive through media at regional as well as at national level and (iv) to institute awards for Swachhata which would be given to manufactures/chemists etc. , at the Annual Pharma/ Medical Devices meet. A mass pledge on the occasion has been administered by Secretary (Pharma) on 16.08.2017 in the Department and similar pledges were also administered in Pharma PSUs and NIPERs.