Union Urban Development Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu on Tuesday asserted that the Swachh survey will be extended to 500 cities having population of over one lakh.Felicitating leaders and officers of municipalities with Clean City Awards at a function here, Naidu said that the government is taking additional policy and institutional measures to strengthen the country's journey towards a Swachh India.He further said that states, cities, panchayats should give awards so that this survey turns into a movement.The minister also insisted that it is the political will and administrative skill, which is required for clean India.The first-ever cleanliness ranking of cities under Swachh Bharat Mission was released in February this year.Mysuru had emerged as the cleanest city among all million plus and capital cities while Dhanbad in Jharkhand has been ranked the worst.

Centre to extend Swachh survey to 500 cities

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Jaitley stresses on integrated communication strategy for success of 'Swachh Bharat Mission', 'Namami Gange'

An integrated communication strategy incorporating key messages, tools, outreach and innovation would be critical for enhancing the awareness, visibility, ownership and behaviour change for the 'Swachh Bharat Mission' and 'Namami Gange'.Union Finance Minister, Minister of Information & Broadcasting, Finance & Corporate Affairs Arun Jaitley said this while chairing the first meeting of the High Powered Committee (HPC) to strategise Communication Roadmap for Swachh Bharat and Ganga Rejuvenation here on Wednesday.For the strategy to be effective further, he said, certain key elements needed to be incorporated in the communication approach.Elaborating further, he said the content for the messages to be used needed to be linked with the target audience. "The messages for both the Missions ought to reinforce each other. For an effective outreach and impact it was critical to identify the effective mass media forums for both urban and rural areas," he added.The minister also ...

PM Modi lauds retired govt. employee's contribution to Swachh Bharat Kosh

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday lauded retired government employee Chandrakant Kulkarni for donating one-third of his pension to the Swachh Bharat Kosh."A retired government employee giving almost a third of his pension for a Swachh Bharat. What can be a greater inspiration?" he said while addressing the nation in the 21st edition of his 'Mann Ki Baat' programme.Kulkarni yesterday presented 52 post-dated cheques, worth Rs. 2,60,000 towards the Swachh Bharat Kosh to Prime Minister Modi during the latter's visit to Pune.Kulkarni donated almost a third of his pension from June 2015 to Sept 2019 to the Swachh Bharat Kosh.The Swachh Bharat Kosh has been set up by the government to facilitate channelization of philanthropic contributions and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) funds towards the Clean India Campaign as individuals and philanthropists expressed interest in contributing to efforts to achieve the objective of 'Swachh Bharat' by the year 2019.

According to new WHO figures, 16 of the world's 30 most polluted cities are in India. Further, levels are growing of ultra-fine particles of less than 2.5 microns (PM2.5s), which can penetrate deep into the lungs and can cause serious health problems for people who live in India's cities.Additionally, Blueair underlined how the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) has calculated that air pollution, responsible for 10,000 to 30,000 deaths annually in Delhi alone, is the fifth leading cause of death in the country.Constant eruption of man-caused fires is making the situation worst. This includes the major Bhalswa dumpsite fire in Delhi and the Deonar dumpsite fire in Mumbai, which has seriously endangered air quality in both cities. Additionally, the entire northern part of India is still suffering from recent forest fires in Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh."Air pollution increases the risk of stroke, heart disease, lung cancer, and severe respiratory diseases. For a city-dweller, .

World Environment Day; let's clean air we breathe to stay healthy and alert

The UPA government is likely to table the Lokpal Bill in the Rajya Sabha on Friday.Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kamal Nath on Thursday said that the Lokpal Bill will come up for discussion in the Rajya Sabha on Friday.Declaring that the passage of the Bill is a priority for the UPA-II Government, Nath said: "Our priority is Lokpal Bill. The Lokpal Bill has to be taken up in Rajya Sabha, and then it will come up in Lok Sabha."He said the government will list the measure for discussion and debate in the Rajya Sabha on Friday.The Winter session, which started on December 5, is scheduled to end on December 20.Meanwhile, the Government has assured social activist Anna Hazare that the bill will be taken up in the ongoing Parliament session, but the anti-graft crusader has started an indefinite hunger strike to press for its early passage that entered fourth day today.The anti-corruption crusader said that he won't buckle under government pressure and this time it will be a do or die

Centre to extend Swachh survey to 500 cities

Jaitley stresses on integrated communication strategy for success of 'Swachh Bharat Mission', 'Namami Gange'

PM Modi lauds retired govt. employee's contribution to Swachh Bharat Kosh

World Environment Day; let's clean air we breathe to stay healthy and alert

Lokpal Bill likely to come up in Rajya Sabha today