Min Anurag Thakur kickstarts cleanliness drive at Chandni Chowk

New Delhi, Oct 19: Union minister Anurag Thakur on Wednesday launched a special cleanliness drive at Chandni Chowk here as part of the Swachh Bharat campaign, which aims to collect 1 crore kg of plastic waste across the country.

The Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Sports and Youth Affairs had launched the month-long campaign, being conducted across 744 districts of the country, at Prayagraj on October 1 through Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan and National Service Scheme affiliated institutions.

"We have already collected 84 lakh kg of plastic waste in a matter of 18 days and are set to surpass the target," Thakur told reporters after participating in the cleanliness drive near Town Hall in old Delhi.

He urged the youth to dedicate two days coinciding with the Diwali festival to keep the surroundings clean. The minister also asked them to participate in the 'plog run' during the 'Run for Unity' on October 31, the birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.

The objectives of the Swachh Bharat 2022 programme are to organise cleaning of public spaces and households across the country from October 1 to October 31 by involving all segments of society, and government and non-government organisations, an official statement said.