GUWAHATI, Sept 20 - Inaugurating the Swachata Abhiyan programme on the Kamakhya Temple premises under the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal today said the temple will become a prime example of cleanliness amongst all the 10 iconic places chosen for the scheme all over the country.
He said that together with the civil society, the government will achieve Mahatma Gandhi�s dream of a clean India and Assam will have to lead by example in cleanliness and hygienic practices in the country.
The Swachata Abhiyan is a target-specific pilot project under the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, which will be carried out in 10 iconic places from all over the country, primarily of religious and spiritual significance.
The places which have been selected are Kamakhya Temple in Assam, Vaishno Devi Temple in Jammu and Kashmir, Taj Mahal in Uttar Pradesh, Tirupati Temple in Andhra Pradesh, Golden Temple in Punjab, Ajmer Sharif in Rajasthan, Jagannath Temple in Odisha, Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus in Maharashtra, Manikarnika Ghat in Uttar Pradesh and Meenakshi Temple in Tamil Nadu.
A total of 100 such iconic places are planned for the Swachata Abhiyan and after completion of scheme in the initial 10 places it will be rolled out to 90 such places.
While thanking Prime Minister Narendra Modi for choosing to start the national programme from the Kamakhya Temple, Sonowal said Mother Kamakhya�s blessings would guide everyone to make this cleanliness drive a grand success and Assam will strive hard to make Modi�s dream of clean India a reality.
He said, �If we are to become a top nation in the world, then we must practise cleanliness as a way of life and also inspire the young generation to commit themselves to keep their surroundings clean.�
Reiterating that cleanliness is next to godliness, the Chief Minister said the Kamakhya Temple is visited every year by thousands of domestic and foreign tourists and devotees and it is everyone�s prime duty to keep the shrine clean to spread the message of Swachata Abhiyan.
The behaviour of the people will have to be changed for inculcating the habit of clean and hygienic living and awareness campaigns would be carried out for this purpose under the Swachata Abhiyan, he said.
Along with worshipping Maa Kamakhya, the devotees must take it as their solemn duty to keep the shrine clean to worship in the truest sense of the term, Sonowal added. He also called upon the priests of the shrine to make the scheme a success.
Sonowal also inaugurated the scrubber-cum-dryer and tripper machines purchased by the Kamakhya Devalaya Management Committee for nearly Rs 15 lakh to maintain cleanliness on the temple premises.
Union Minister for Drinking Water and Sanitation Narendra Singh Tomar, who was also present on the occasion, said that all members of civil society must cooperate with the government agencies to make the Swachata Abhiyan a great success.
He said that under Sonowal�s leadership, Assam will become a clean state and an inspiration for others.
Union Minister of State for Rural Development Ram Kripal Yadav, State Ministers Rihan Daimary and Naba Kumar Doley and Chief Secretary VK Pipersenia, among others, were present on the occasion.
