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SWACHH PAKHWADA – INITIATIVES BY ICAR-CMFRI

“A clean India would be the best tribute India could pay to Mahatma Gandhi on his 150 birth anniversary in 2019,” said Shri Narendra Modi as he launched the Swachh Bharat Mission at Rajpath in New Delhi. On 2^nd  October 2014, Swachh Bharat Mission was launched throughout length and breadth of the country as a national movement. By inviting people to participate in the drive, the Swachhta Abhiyan has turned into a National Movement. A sense of responsibility has been evoked among the people through the Clean India Movement. With citizens now becoming active participants in cleanliness activities across the nation, the dream of a ‘Clean India’ once seen by Mahatma Gandhi has begun to get a shape.  

Government of India has launched Swachh Bharat Mission to achieve total sanitation and cleanliness by 2^nd  October, 2019. It has, therefore, been desired that each department / centres draw out and implement at least a fortnight long action plan every year to bring into focus, its contribution towards Swachh Bharat Mission and also to carry out substantive work related to Swachhta.  In pursuance to the ICAR Circular D.O.No.:21(46)/2014-CDN dated 10.10.2016, regarding the celebration of special Swachhta Pakhwara for a fortnight, it has been decided by the Competent Authority in CMFRI for conducting Swachh Bharat Abhiyan (Cleanliness Drive) during the period 17.10.2016 to 31.10.2016 at CMFRI and its Regional / Research Centres.  

ICAR-CMFRI mandated with marine fisheries research has been manning the policies and regulations for keeping the Indian EEZ swachh and swasth. The relevance of the Sea around us has been instilled in the mind set of Indians since the Vedic era where Lord Varuna – ‘The Sea God’ instilled the need of maintaining laws under the water also. In recent times, development agendas deviated our goals on protecting the sea and acting as a dumping ground. The research of ICAR-CMFRI since 1947 has been instrumental in maintaining the health, wealth and cleanliness of sea and its coastal areas.

With the PMOs special initiative of ‘Swach Bharath Abhiyan’ CMFRI was provided with an innate opportunity to augment our plans for which befitting programmes were conceived to generate awareness, demonstrate cleanliness drive, develop technologies supporting waste management in fisheries and brief the media with press releases dedicating to the central themes of ‘Swachh Bharath’. 

The Institute has a proactive Swachh Bharat Abhiyan committee in place which meticulously co-ordinates and monitors the activities since its inception from October 2014. The Swachh Bharat Abhiyan streamlined the concerted initiatives of CMFRI teamed with different governmental and non-governmental agencies ensuring wider participation of the target populace including coastal communities and public.  CMFRI showcased the need for Clean India through its various programmes which include cleanliness drives across the public utility avenues, developing technologies aimed at waste reduction, imparting awareness and reaching out to public and involvement of children and youth and by inviting inspiring change agents and showcasing changes manifested from civic societies.

The “month” long  “Swachh Pakhwada” commenced on Gandhi Jayanthi and culminated on the Rastriya Ekta Divas (31^st October) with activities implemented within a well-conceived action plan across CMFRI Headquarters and its ten regional/ research centres.  The programme ranged from cleaning the public utility areas like harbour, hospitals, schools, parks, beaches, bus shelters, boat jetty’s, public walkways, playgrounds; cleaning the office premises; tree plantation, vegetable gardening, utilization  of degradable and non-degradable waste through successful and useful decomposition; creating awareness among public entities, conducting competitions in this connection and so on and so forth.

Some of the major events conducted include human chains on awareness, cleaning beaches, developing products and processes leading to waste disposal / reduction.  The hallmark of Pakhwada includes developing fruitful linkages with civic societies and other government agencies in partnering for future initiatives.  In addition, daily reporting of activities in media and official websites of ICAR was done.

Through the Swachh Pakhwada, CMFRI was successful in initiating not only “Ek kadam Swacchtha kee aur” balki “Ek Saath Swachta kee aur”. The concerted efforts have not only generated a steady start and have instilled a sense of awareness among the society with their voluntary participation in many programmes towards realizing the dream of Swachh India. We strive with a passion to uphold the dream of 'na main gandagi karoonga, na main gandagi karne doonga' and the best is yet to come….

Swachh Bharat Abhiyan Committee of ICAR- CMFRI