By Shyamal Sinha
The Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan—on the birth anniversary of India’s revolutionary leader Mahatma Gandhi, the Central Tibetan Administration and Tibetans across India are holding a door-to-door cleaning campaign as a mark of tribute to its host India and the Indian leader.
Today marks the beginning of the 150th anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi and the fourth anniversary of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan which was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2014.
Since the launch, 130 crore Indians including lakhs of government officials have paid tribute to Mahatma Gandhi in the form of the Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM). The nationwide campaign was launched on October 2 in 2014 from Rajghat with an objective to make the country open defecation free by 2019.
The CTA-organised Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan was flagged off today at McLeod Ganj Square by Kalon of Department of Health, Choekyong Wangchuk, Additional Commissioner of Municipal Corporation, Prabha Chaudhary, President of Indo-Tibet Friendship Association, Ajay Singh and local Pradhans.
“The Central Tibetan Administration is celebrating the year 2018 as Thank you Year with a series of yearlong event spanning across India to express our deepest and heartfelt gratitude to the Government and People of India,” Health Kalon said.
“India has been a second home for Tibetan people and provided the most support for the Tibetan people than any other country. Through today’s cleanliness program, we join with the clean India pledge led by PM Modi Ji as a mark of our utmost gratitude to this great country,” he remarked.
Additional Commissioner Chaudhary congratulated the Central Tibetan Administration for participating in the Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan and hailed the Swachh Bharat movement as the most successful mass movement in India.
He also paid rich tributes to Mahatma Gandhi and reiterated his clarion call of nonviolence, sanitation and rural development.
Settlement Officer Dawa Richen delivered the vote of thanks.
Tibetans in Dharamsala, including staff of Central Tibetan Administration, TCV schools, Tibetan Institute of Performing Arts, Tibetan NGOs and members Norbulingka will take part in a door-to-door cleaning movement starting from Dal Lake-Mcleod Ganj-Main Temple-Gangkyi-Gamru-lower Dharamsala up till Norbulingka.
This year the Government of India has announced a two-year celebration to mark the 150th anniversary of Gandhi. The United Nations also celebrates October 2 as the International Day of Non-Violence to honour Gandhi’s belief in peace and non-violence.
