Chandigarh, Nov 27 (PTI) A day before International Gita Mahotsav begins in Haryana's Kurukshetra, Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini on Wednesday launched a cleanliness drive, saying everyone who comes to the holy city should also take the message of cleanliness.

The annual Gita festival will be celebrated from November 28 to December 15. The main events of the festival will be held from December 5 to 11.

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Picking up a broom himself, Saini launched the 'Swachh Kurukshetra Mahasafai Abhiyan' from Thanesar in Kurukshetra.

Saini said it was from this land of Gita that Lord Krishna gave an immortal message to the entire humanity thousands of years ago.

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"People come here from every part of the world and it becomes our responsibility to keep this holy city completely clean. Everyone who comes here should take the message of cleanliness along with the message of Gita," he said.

Saini reaffirmed his dedication to a cleaner environment and emphasized the crucial role of cleanliness in shaping a beautiful Haryana, an official statement said.

This initiative taken by the chief minister aims to raise awareness among citizens and transform this cleanliness campaign into a mass movement, making Haryana not just clean but a benchmark for cleanliness across states, the statement said.

After inaugurating the cleanliness campaign, Saini also flagged off the 'Swachhata Rath' especially started to ensure cleanliness in Kurukshetra.

During the event, hundreds of people joined the chief minister for an hour-long cleanliness drive from Sheikh Chilli's Tomb to O P Jindal Park and Tau Devi Lal Chowk.

Saini launched the campaign across 18 zones of Kurukshetra, administered a cleanliness pledge, and urged every citizen to participate in the movement, the statement said.

Addressing the gathering, the chief minister said that ensuring cleanliness and making Kurukshetra more beautiful should be the utmost priority of the officers and the residents, especially as the International Gita Mahotsav is nearing and thousands of visitors from across the globe will be visiting the holy land.

Saini also pointed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's thrust on 'swachhata' and said that a clean environment will not only eradicate diseases but also ensure a healthier population, paving the way for national progress.

Haryana, he said, is on track to develop three times faster, with cleanliness as its foremost goal.

Efforts are being made to address the shortage of staff in all civic bodies, and there will be no shortage of resources, he added.

Under the Swachh Bharat Mission, 7,75,810 individual toilets and more than 6,000 community sanitation complexes have been constructed in rural areas so far, said Saini.

The chief minister said that Haryana's strides in cleanliness were noted, with 17 urban local bodies certified as open defecation free (ODF), 59 as ODF Plus, and two as 'Water Plus'.

The state ranked 14th nationally in the Swachh Survekshan 2023 among states with fewer than 100 urban local bodies. Two waste management plants, one each in Gurugram and Faridabad, will be set up, which are expected to boost Haryana's ranking in the cleanliness survey, said Saini.

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