Schools join cleanliness campaign

Children’s Film Festival opened on Nehru’s birth anniversary

A dance performance at the inauguration of the National Children’s Film Festival in New Delhi on Friday. Photo Rajeev Bhatt

The BJP-led NDA government marked India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru’s 125th birth anniversary by launching Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s flagship Swacch Bharat Abhiyan (cleanliness campaign) in schools across the country.

“Today is our first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru’s 125th birth anniversary… on this day we launch the Swacch Bharat Abhiyan among children… in schools across the country,” Finance and Information and Broadcasting Minister Arun Jaitley said here on Friday.

Speaking during the inauguration of the first National Children’s Film Festival, which was dominated by audio-visual content featuring Mahatma Gandhi and Mr. Modi, Mr. Jaitley said ‘swacchta’ (cleanliness) should be instilled as one of the core values early so that cleanliness becomes part of one’s childhood and personality.

The three-day children's film festival features eminent filmmaker Shyam Benegal, tennis icon Sania Mirza and actors Dia Mirza and Sakshi Tanwar among others.

It is being organised by the Children’s Film Society of India and will showcase several internationally acclaimed children’s films on the theme of cleanliness.

The festival would open with

Pappu Ki Pugdandi , the CFSI’s latest production, and feature other films including

Kaphal which won the National Award for Best Children’s Film.