Rajnath Singh urges to carry forward govt's vision of 'Swachh Bharat'

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday presided over a special cleanliness program organised by the Controller General of Defence Accounts (CGDA) in Delhi Cantonment as part of the 'Swachhata Hi Sewa' campaign.

Rajnath Singh led the 'shramdaan' activities as part of the 'Ek Taarikh, Ek Ghanta, Ek Saath' programme, which included a cleanliness drive, beautification of common area and a plantation drive.

He also interacted with the 'Safai Karamcharis' and lauded their efforts in ensuring cleanliness in the premises. He motivated them to continue working with zeal and dedication and carry forward the mass social movement launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Government to realise the dream of Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi of a 'Clean India'.

"I congratulate all the officers and employees of the Defence Accounts Department on the Foundation Day of the Defence Accounts Department. Every one of us is very conscious about the cleanliness of the organization or office with which we are associated. When we want to keep our thoughts, our intentions and our behaviour clean, then how can our workplace, our office, courtyard, and building remain dirty," he said while speaking at the event.

The Defence Minister further said, "Under the leadership of PM Modi, we all are participants in the mass movement and social movement of cleanliness that has been launched in India to fulfil the dream of Mahatma Gandhi. And you all deserve praise for the dimensions of cleanliness that you have created in this campaign."

Lauding the works of the Defence Accounts Department, he said that the department's journey has been no less than a marathon.

"It is a thrill to think that a department has been continuing its journey continuously for the last 350 years. This department and all of you deserve congratulations for the work done towards continuously enhancing India's defence capabilities with your ability, honesty and hard work," he said.

Singh added, "As an individual, as an organisation and as a nation, our needs are unlimited, but the resources available to us are limited. In such a situation, we have to make proper utilisation of limited resources and extract optimum output from it. I am extremely happy to see the way you ensure optimum utilization of the resources available to us in the Defence sector."

Over 20,000 officers & staff of the Defence Accounts Department across more than 1,100 offices and residential colonies across the country have been undertaking cleanliness activities including removal of garbage, weeding out of files & awareness campaigns on the importance of proper sanitation and hygiene.

Similar cleanliness drives have been launched at various other establishments of the Ministry of Defence, Services and related organisations all over the country as part of the 'Swachhata Hi Sewa' campaign.

Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan, Financial Adviser (Defence Service) Rasika Chaube and CGDA SG Dastidar also participated in various cleanliness activities on the occasion.

Rajnath Singh also interacted with the Principal Controllers and Controllers of Defence Accounts heading the offices of PCDA (Army) Jammu, PCDA (Air Force) Dehradun, PCDA (Army) Jaipur, PCDA (Pensions) Prayagraj, CDA (Army) Meerut, CDA Guwahati, CDA Jabalpur, CDA (Regional Training Centre) Bengaluru and CDA Chennai and reviewed the implementation of the 'Swachhta Hi Sewa' campaign in their respective jurisdictions.

The 'Swachhata Hi Seva' campaign, which began on September 15, 2023, will culminate on the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi on October 02, 2023. As part of the campaign, shramdaan activities are being undertaken through community participation as a prelude to the Swachh Bharat Diwas on Gandhi Jayanti.