Chandigarh: To make 'Swachh Bharat Mission' a people's movement, officials, activists and citizens across Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh on Thursday launched a cleanliness drive on the 145th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.
The idea behind the drive is to make the country clean and hygienic, officials said here.
In Punjab, the drive was carried out in offices, police headquarters, Raj Bhawan, among others.
Officials, employees and school children also took a 'cleanliness oath' on the occasion.
At Punjab police headquarters here, officers were administered the 'cleanliness oath' in presence of Punjab Director General of Police (DGP) Sumedh Singh, an official spokesman said.
Earlier, in a comprehensive cleanliness campaign, the whole premises of police headquarters and offices were cleaned thoroughly and instructions were issued to make it a regular feature, the spokesman added.
Meanwhile, Punjab Governor Shivraj V Patil paid floral tributes to Mahatma Gandhi at Punjab Raj Bhawan.
"The birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, is an occasion for all of us to rededicate ourselves to Bapuji's ideals of truth, non-violence and all-round development," he said.
He appealed to staff to inculcate the habit of cleanliness, educate their families and encourage others to participate in the cleanliness drive.
He declared taking special steps to clean important public places of Chandigarh, especially the Sukhna Choe, Patiala-ki-Rao, N-Choe drains, vegetables and fruit market.
In Haryana too, people from different walks of life participated in the campaign.
Principal Secretary to Punjab Governor and administrator UT Chandigarh, M P Singh administered the oath of cleanliness to the entire staff of Punjab Raj Bhavan.
Similar reports of cleanliness drive were received from different parts of Haryana as well.
