Kamakhya Temple will become a prime example of cleanliness among all the 10 iconic places chosen for the 'Swachta Abhiyan' scheme in the country, Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal said today.
"The government along with the civil society will achieve Gandhiji's dream of a 'Clean India' and Assam will have to lead by example in cleanliness and hygienic practices in the country," Sonowal said after inaugurating the 'Swachta Abhiyan' programme at the Kamakhya Temple atop the Nilachal Hills here.
'Swachta Abhiyan' is a target specific pilot project under 'Swachh Bharat Abhiyan' which will be carried out in ten iconic places, spread all over the country, primarily having religious and spiritual significance.
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The places which have been selected are Kamakhya Temple in Assam, Vaishno Devi Temple in Jammu and Kashmir, Taj Mahal in Uttar Pradesh, Tirupati Temple in Andhra Pradesh, Golden Temple in Punjab, Ajmer Sharif in Rajasthan, Jagannath Temple in Odisha, Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus in Maharashtra, Manikarnika Ghat in Uttar Pradesh, Meenakshi Temple in Tamil Nadu.
A total of 100 such iconic places are planned for 'Swachta Abhiyan' and after completion of scheme in the initial 10 places it will be rolled out to 90 such places.
Sonowal thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for choosing to start the national programme from Kamakhya Temple.
"Goddess Kamakhya's blessings will guide everyone to make this cleanliness drive a grand success and Assam will strive hard to make Prime Minster Modi's dream of clean India a reality," he said.
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Reiterating that cleanliness is next to godliness,
Chief Minister said that, Kamakhya Temple is visited every year by thousands of national and international tourists and devotees and it is everyone's prime duty to keep the shrine clean to spread the message of 'Swachta Abhiyan', he said.
People's behaviour will have to change for inculcating the habit of clean and hygienic living and awareness campaign would be carried out for this purpose under 'Swachta Abhiyan', he said.
The Chief Minister also called upon the priests of the shrine to make the scheme a success.
Union Minister for Drinking Water and Sanitation Narendra Singh Tomar, who was also present on the occasion, said that all members of the civil society must cooperate with the government agencies to make 'Swachta Abhiyan' a great success.
Union Minister of State for Rural Development Ram Kripal Yadav, Assam PHED Minister Rihon Daimary and PHED Minister Naba Kumar Doley and senior officials of the state government were also present on the occasion.
