A Swachh Rath (vehicle) displaying Swachh Bharat slogans and awareness messages was flagged off by Deputy Commissioner, Ramesh Kumar, here today.The Rath will visit all the wards of Kathua town and surrounding villages as part of week-long awareness drive launched by the administration on August 9 to create mass awareness about cleanliness and good hygiene practices.Students, general public, officials and staff of rural Development Department took part in the rally and encouraged the people to construct latrines to achieve the defecation free target.At the outset, the DDC said that making all villages Open defection free is one of the major parameters in the Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) and government has laid special focus on this goal. He also said that the practice of open defecation can be eradicated by building individual toilets.
Cleanliness and hygiene are important aspects of everyone`s life so it is important that the week-long campaign shall ensure people`s representation at the grassroots level i.e. at the village, block and district level.
He further added that building IHHL under SBM is the means to achieve the goal of ODF but clean and healthy surroundings through mass awareness and continuous motivation is the core objective of SBM.District administration organized a series of creative and cleanliness programmes during the week-long campaign with the objective of ‘cleanliness, inside out’. The campaign aims at to sensitize and ensure good health and hygiene by creating mass awareness among women and children about clean and safe environment, personal health, hygiene and good practices including hand washing.Programs on similar theme were also organized at Block headquarters of Kathua district.Among others, ADC, ACD, DPO, BDOs and prominent citizens were present on the occasion.