Awareness Camping on Swachhta Action Plan 2018

       Samba, July 25: As part of the ongoing intensive awareness campaign on Swachhta Action Plan 2018, a much publicized and well known flagship programme of NDA Government aimed at to fulfill the dreams of the father of nation Mahatma Gandhi of Clean India, Green India, the Bureau of Outreach & Communication pressed IEC tools for spreading the message of Swachhta Hi Sewa.  The awareness campaign was launched by the Bureau of Outreach and Communication, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India, Jammu & Kashmir Region in five identified district i.e. Jammu, Samba, Kishtwar, Srinagar and Udhampur of Jammu & Kashmir state in July 2018.

In this connection, Field Outreach Bureau, Kathua in close coordination and cooperation with Rural Development Department, Panchayat Department  and Education Department of district Samba organized a series of awareness activities in Samba block that includes theme based film shows, symposium, theme based quiz contest, awareness rallies, oath on Swachhta etc in order to sensitize and mobilize the masses in general and rural masses in particular especially at the grass root level about various aspects and provisions of Swachh Bharat Abhiyan which is a revolutionary initiative of Govt. of India aimed at to accomplish the vision of making India open defecation free, clean and green by 2nd October 2019, the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi the father of nation.

The main programme was organized at Community Hall, Badheri which was presided over by Shri Piyush Dhotra, District Panchayat Officer, Samba whereas, Smt. Mallvika Sharma, Block Development Officer, Samba was the Guest of honor beside Smt. Suman Sambyal, Principal Saraswati Vadliyia, Chak Nanka was the special guest on the occasion. The programme was attended by a large gathering including students of three educational institutions of the vicinity, teachers, ex PRI members, local villagers, local ladies, RDD field functionaries and local community members etc.

During the awareness programme experts were made available by the organizers for making the audience aware about various aspects and provisions of Swachhta Abhiyan. Shri Aksh Jamwal, MIS, BDO Office, Samba and Shri Ramesh Chander, Ex Sarpanch, Badheri, Samba delivered keynote addresses on the theme and provided detailed information about the benefits and provisions to the audience about the national public welfare programme.

 As part of pre publicity activities for this intensive awareness campaign on SAP 2018, Field Outreach Bureau, Kathua organized two theme based film shows at Saraswati Vidyalia, High School, Nankay Chak, and Govt. High School, Nankay Chak, Samba respectively.

An oath on Swachtta to make the local areas, lanes, drains and the surroundings clean and green was also being administered to the staff members and students of all the three educational institutions during the intensive awareness activities on Swachh Bharat Abhiyan.

While unveiling the concept of Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, Shri N. Gulshan Raina, Publicity Officer to Government of India, BOC, J & K stressed upon the audience to come forward and also make each and every citizen of their respective areas empower and aware to shoulder the responsibility of making the country open defecation free, clean and green so that the dream of the father of nation of “Clean and Green India” could be achieved and fulfilled.

While interacting with the audience Shri Raina spelled out the aims and objectives of such awareness programmes for the common masses directly at the grass root level. He requested the audience to act as ambassadors in spreading the message of provisions and importance of Swachh Bharat Abhiyan in their respective areas and strongly advocated to shoulders their responsibilities for the proper and effective implementation of this national programme. He further highlighted the significance of such awareness programmes from time to time for the awareness of “Aam Adami“ especially the inhabitants of rural India. Raina also laid emphasis on the audience to help in disseminating the information and awareness of this national programme in every nook and corner of the country so that this National Programme could be made successful and result oriented.

Theme based cultural items during the intensive awareness programme were also presented by the registered artists of Song and Drama Division of Ministry of Information and Broadcasting in order to make audience more empowered and aware about various aspects, provision and benefits of the Swachhta Abhiyan.

An on the spot theme based quiz contest among the audience was also organized after the expert lecture on Swachhta Abhiyan by the resource persons which is aimed to check the knowledge and awareness level of the audience about the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan programme. Those how answered rightly the questions were honoured with prizes and utility gift by the hands of a galaxy of offices present on the occasion.

Later a awareness rally was also organized which were started from the community hall and passed by the streets, lanes and by-lanes of the respective areas chanting slogans “Swachh Bharat, Swast Bharat”, “Ham Sab Ka Eak Hi Narha, Swachh Aur Swast Ho Desh Hamara”, Bharat Mata Ki Jai” etc and later culminated at the Govt. High School, Chak Nanka. The awareness rally was aimed at to disseminate the message of Swachhta and Swachh Bharat among the locals and those how could not attended the awareness programme due to some personal reasons.

While presenting vote of thanks, DPO, Samba, appreciated the efforts made by BOC in making the rural masses aware about various central sponsored schemes and programmes launched by Govt. of India from time to time for the benefits, upliftment and safeguard of the people of the country in general and rural populace in particular. He requested the organizing department of more such awareness programmes on other themes and topics in the near future, so that the rural masses may be able to know more and more about various centrally sponsored developmental schemes and programmes and would be able to get maximum benefits from these schemes and programmes.