Central public sector undertakings to adopt nearly 5 lakh spots for cleaning, beautification

Over 5 lakh dirty spots to be transformed into public facilities by PSUs under Swachcha Bharat Mission.

Nearly five lakh very dirty spots across the country, to be known as Cleanliness Target Units (CTU), will be adopted by various institutions, majorly Central Public Sector Undertakings (CPSUs), and turned into facilities for public use.

“The project being undertaken under the Swachcha Bharat Mission (SBM) includes mega cleanliness drives at various sites like tourist locations, public buildings, commercial areas, community toilets, public toilets, water bodies, zoos, and sanctuaries,” the Union Urban Affairs Ministry said in a statement.

The SBM was launched on October 2, 2014. This year’s campaign is being celebrated under the theme ‘Swabhav Swachhata Sanskaar Swachhata (Clean Habits, Clean Culture)’.

Senior officials in the Urban Affairs Ministry, the nodal agency for implementation of the mission, said there had been a remarkable increase in the number of Cleanliness Task Units (CTUs) identified for cleaning and transformation. Earlier the target was two lakh, but now already nearly five lakh had been identified.

Union Urban Affairs Minister M.L. Khattar convened a high-level meeting with the senior officials of nearly 45 PSUs, including DMRC, NRCTC, RailTel, RITES, IRCTC, and the Airports Authority of India, to encourage them to take a leading role in adopting Cleanliness Target Units across the nation to tackle challenging and neglected areas and enhance them. The meeting also included nodal officers from Central Ministries and other senior officials.

By adopting the CTUs, the public sector units can offer vital support through various initiatives, including manpower and machinery assistance, as well as plantation drives. They can actively participate in Safai Mitra Suraksha Shivirs (safety camps for cleanliness staff) and install waste-to-art projects at transformed locations, contributing significantly to the cleanliness and beautification efforts.

Mr. Khattar highlighted that work on CTUs is not just for the campaign period but has to be continued in the future. He urged the PSUs to prioritise waste-to-wealth initiatives to ensure effective waste processing and transformation and beautification of the spots, the statement said.