CM Jitan Ram Manjhi launches Swachh Bharat drive in Bihar

PATNA: Bihar Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi, Union Ministers Ramvilas Paswan, Ravishankar Prasad and actor-politician Shatrughan Sinha took up the broom to launch the Swachh Bharat mission in Bihar today.

Manjhi launched the Swachh Bharat mission from Gandhi Maidan by delivering oath to people to keep the city clean.

Talking to reporters, Manjhi praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for launching the nationwide cleanliness campaign and appealed all to make at least 100 people aware about the importance of cleanliness and devote 100 hours every year for this work.

The Chief Minister flagged off a vehicle which would go around the state to spread the message of cleanliness among the people.

Elsewhere in the state, Union ministers Ramvilas Paswan, Ravishankar Prasad and Upendra Kushwaha started the cleanliness drive at different places.

Paswan and Kushwaha broomed the platform and premises of Hajipur Railway station, while Union Law minister Ravishankar Prasad, accompanied by General Manager of East Central Railway (ECR) zone Madhuresh Kumar and many BJP workers, took part in the campaign at Patna junction station.

Prasad told reporters it was a great initiative from Prime Minister Narendra Modi where he himself and his Cabinet colleagues have taken up the broom to launch cleanliness drive on the birth anniversary of Gandhi.

Actor-politician and Patna Saheb MP Shatrughan Sinha took part in the mission at Patna Airport and later went to the state Assembly and took up the broom to clean the area.

"Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given a strong and effective social message of cleanliness on the auspicious occasion of Gandhi Jayanti," Sinha told PTI.

"Even during election campaign I had given a call for clean Patna-green Patna and by participating in the cleanliness drive today, I wish to make people aware to the health hazards from dirt and filth," he said.

ECR officials at different big and small stations in the five Divisions of Danapur, Mughalsarai, Dhanbad, Sonepur and Samastipur took part in the campaign and swept the platforms and station premises, Chief Public Relations Officer of ECR Arvind Kumar Rajak said.