Chief Minister Eknath Shinde: The Real Hero Behind Mumbai’s Sanitation Workers

Mumbai – In 2014, Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the ‘Swachh Bharat Abhiyan’ to promote cleanliness across the country. As a result, this campaign has been effectively implemented nationwide, including in Mumbai, where the ‘Deep Clean Drive’ initiative has significantly reduced pollution. Chief Minister Eknath Shinde praised the city’s sanitation workers, calling them the real heroes behind Mumbai’s cleanliness efforts.

The state-level ‘Swachhta Hi Seva-2024’ (SHS) campaign was launched by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde from Girgaon Chowpatty in Mumbai. Present at the event were Mumbai City Guardian Minister Deepak Kesarkar, Mumbai Suburban District Guardian Minister Mangal Prabhat Lodha, Mumbai Municipal Corporation Commissioner Bhushan Gagrani, Principal Secretary of the Urban Development Department Dr. K.H. Govindaraj, Mumbai Collector Sanjay Yadav, Additional Commissioner of the Mumbai Municipal Corporation Ashwini Joshi, Sena officials, students from the Rashtriya Chhatra Sena, NGOs, sanitation workers, and local citizens.

This state-level campaign, which began under the leadership of Chief Minister Shinde, will continue until October 2nd, Mahatma Gandhi Jayanti. The concept of ‘Swabhava Swachhta – Sanskar Swachhata’ will be implemented in both urban and rural areas of Maharashtra, according to the Chief Minister. He highlighted that as part of the ‘Swachhta Hi Seva Abhiyan,’ R.R.R. (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle) centers are being established, and a zero-waste program is being implemented at tourist destinations. Additionally, plantation and beautification efforts are ongoing under the ‘Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam’ initiative. Locations that are not regularly cleaned have been identified, and a three-point plan has been put in place to ensure these areas remain clean. This, the Chief Minister said, requires everyone’s active participation.

Chief Minister Shinde emphasized that Maharashtra will continue to excel in the Swachh Bharat Mission, where it already ranks first in the country. As part of the mission, the Mumbai Municipal Corporation has planted 150,000 trees during the monsoon season. Under this campaign, 9,359 programs have been registered, and 4,520 areas have been identified as Cleanliness Target Units (CTUs), from which waste will be collected. Furthermore, 4,111 public participation initiatives will be implemented to support these efforts.

At Girgaon Chowpatty, Chief Minister Shinde personally took part in the cleanliness drive by operating a tractor and using machinery to collect waste. He also signed a placard bearing the message, “Let’s destroy bad thoughts, clean up our Maharashtra.”