New Delhi: All coaches of the Indian Railways will now display the logo of the government’s pet project Swachh Bharat and the National Flag as part of the national transporter’s plans to celebrate the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.
The Railway Board has said that the ‘Swachhta Pakhwara’ from September 15-October 2, would mark the beginning of the railways’ plans to commemorate Gandhi’s birth anniversary.
It has identified 43 stations with special association with Mahatma Gandhi which will be painted thematically while 28 others near iconic places would undergo massive cleanliness drives.
Among the 43 stations are Delhi, Lucknow, Mumbai, Surat, Danapur, Asansol, Bengaluru, Vadosara and among the iconic stations are Puri, Amritsar, Haridwar, Kurukshetra.
The board has also picked up themes for the next six months starting October 2018 – sanitation, non-violence, voluntary community service, communal unity, removal of untouchability, and women empowerment.
The zonal railways have been asked to use these themes to paint the identified stations.
Instructions have also been sent out to plant trees along railway tracks and get both serving and retired railway personnel along with passengers to participate in ‘Shram Daan’.
Special focus, the board has said, should be given on the cleanliness of approaches to golden triangle region- to and from Delhi, Agra and Jaipur.
It has also said that administrative offices – zonal and divisional headquarters – should have “murals of Gandhiji with his quotes”.
October 2 this year has been set as a deadline for completion of these activities.
Railways’ effort is part of the government’s plans to celebrate Gandhi’s 150th birth anniversary starting October 2. Events and activities will not only be held across the country, but Indian missions abroad too will participate actively in propagating the teachings and life of the Father of the Nation.
Every government department has been asked to firm up their plans from October 2018 to March 2019.
PTI