Cleaning Yamuna needs Delhiites' movement: Dr Kalam

New Delhi, Jun 14 (UNI) Former President A P J Abdul Kalam has given a call to social institutions of the capital and Delhiites as a whole to come forward for saving the Yamuna.

''The cleaning of the river was a big task, which should be taken up by big minds working in the social fields in the capital,'' said Dr Kalam speaking last night after giving away the Distinguished Service Awards instituted by the Rotary Club of Delhi Midtown for recongnising the good work being done by individuals and organisation for the society.

He said the state of the river required a people's movement, and that was quite possible. Giving the example of the cleaning of the Bein river in Punjab by the followers of Baba Balbir Singh, he said if the same kind of devotion to the task was shown by the Delhi people, Yamuna too could restore its previous glory.

Dr Kalam said the 160 km of the polluted stretch was cleared by the devotees once they were made to realise the loss caused by the pollution of the river.

He also gave the example of the Mersey river in Liverlpool which has been cleaned in a campaign involving the people of the city.

Dr Kalam underlined the need to have a national ethics for sustained growth.

''If the society has ethics and a value system, the nation has order, the world has peace,'' he said.

Talking about corporate social responsibility, the former President said all those who were working in the business and industry, or any other field, should ''work with integrity and profit with integrity''.

The awards were given to one individual and two organisations.

Mr D M Jhahar Ajit Joshi was honoured for setting up seasonal schools for children of migrant brick kiln workers. NGO Vatavaran was awarded for its campaign for clean environment in the villages of Delhi, and NGO Jagori was given the award for helping women to resist against domestic violence and creating awareness among them on various other issues.

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