Under the Swachh Bharat Mission, it has been decided to undertake a special clean-up initiative focused on 100 iconic heritage, spiritual and cultural places in the country. The list of these 100 places is under discussion and will be finalized soon.
The initiative has been undertaken under the guidance of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation will be the coordinating Ministry for this initiative, in association with the Ministry of Urban Development, Ministry of Culture, Ministry of tourism and the concerned State governments.
The aim of this initiative is to make these 100 places model ‘Swachh Tourist Destinations’, that will enhance the experience for visitors from India and abroad.
Under Phase 1 of this initiative, the following iconic places have been selected for an intensive clean up:
1. Vaishno Devi: Jammu and Kashmir
2. Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus: Maharashtra
3. Taj Mahal: Uttar Pradesh
4. Tirupati Temple: Andhra Pradesh
5. Golden Temple: Punjab
6. Manikarnika Ghat: Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh
7. Ajmer Sharif Dargah: Rajasthan
8. Meenakshi Temple: Tamil Nadu
9. Kamakhya Temple: Assam
10. Jagannath Puri: Odisha
The lessons and experiences from Phase 1 will be integrated into the clean-up campaign for the remaining 90 sites. To ensure better coordination with the State teams, a Video Conference was held with all Chief Secretaries and Secretaries of the relevant Departments of the above States on 31st May, 2016. The State teams shared the clean-up work that is already underway, and listed the key challenges to be faced.
The Secretaries of the Central Ministries expressed full support to the States in terms of technical assistance and also requested the States to converge resources for the clean-up under ongoing Central programmes, such as the Swachh Bharat Mission and the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT)
The State officials were asked to present a detailed Plan of Action for the clean-up within two weeks.
