Ramakrishna Mutt on Sunday launched Swachh Mangaluru Abhiyan 2.0 whose focus will be more on visiting houses and creating awareness on the proper disposal of domestic waste.
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Launching the new campaign, Swami Jitakamananda, head of the Ramakrishna Mutt, Mangaluru unit, said the best way to pray to the earth, which has been serving all our needs, was by clearing waste. Answering to the call of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the mutt held the first abhiyan for five years, from 2015 to 2019, where emphasis was on cleaning roads and surroundings.
“In the abhiyan 2.0, stress will be more on visiting houses to emphasise on segregation of waste. We did this during the first version of the abhiyan too, but as people seems to have forgotten it, we are re-emphasising on waste segregation,” the swamiji said.
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The swamiji said the abhiyan 2.0 would involve various groups in ‘Own up Kudla’ activities to beautify medians, flyovers, and other public spaces. There will be regular cleaning awareness programmes in schools and colleges, he said.
The coordinator of the mutt Ranjan Bellarpady said cleaning activity would be held once a month in the city or at beaches. There would be regular awareness activities by visiting houses and educational institutions, he said.
Mayor Sudheer Shetty Kannur said like in the first abhiyan, the Mangaluru City Corporation would actively involve in the second abhiyan. Mr. Kannur said new bids would be floated to select an agency for house-to-house collection of waste by use of QR code placed outside houses. The MCC was working towards reaching the top slot in the ongoing Swachh Survekshan survey of urban sanitation and cleanliness.
Students from different colleges in Mangaluru and several private firm employees took part in plogging at Pandeshwar and other neighbouring areas in Mangaluru to mark the launch of Swachh Mangaluru Abhiyan 2.0. | Photo Credit: M. Raghava
Member of Parliament Nalin Kumar Kateel, Mangaluru City South MLA D. Vedayas Kamath, MLC Pratapsimha Nayak, Chancellor of Nitte Deemed to be University N. Vinaya Hegde, former Mayor Premananda Shetty, Mangaluru City Corporation Commissioner C.L. Anand, and MRPL Group general manager (HR) Krishna Hegde, participated in the event.
The abhiyan 2.0 was launched by dignitaries by watering a tulasi sapling. Then Mr. Kateel and Mr. Hegde flagged off and joined other dignitaries and students from different educational institutions in plogging in areas around Mangaladevi Temple.