CM Rekha Gupta launches ‘Delhi Ko Kude Se Azadi’ cleanliness campaign

New Delhi, Aug 17 (IANS) Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Monday launched the ‘Delhi Ko Kude Se Azadi-Swachhta Abhiyan 2026’ at the Kedarnath Sahni Auditorium at the Municipal Corporation of Delhi headquarters, encouraging different civic wards to compete for Rs 1 crore prize money.

She said the special cleanliness campaign will run across the capital till October 2, 2026.

It aims to strengthen the city’s sanitation system further, promote scientific waste management, ensure cleanliness of public spaces, and increase public participation by making citizens more aware of cleanliness, she said.

A brochure on the cleanliness campaign was also released on the occasion.

Union Minister of State and Delhi BJP president Harsh Malhotra, Delhi Urban Development Minister Ashish Sood, Delhi Mayor Pravesh Wahi, Chief Whip and MLA Abhay Verma and others were present at the programme.

Malhotra said the resolve of ‘Delhi Ko Kude Se Azadi’ is not limited to the sanitation system, but is an effort to make cleanliness a part of people’s thinking and behaviour.

Referring to Mahatma Gandhi’s efforts to link cleanliness with the freedom movement, he said Prime Minister Narendra Modi, too, had called for turning cleanliness into a national movement in his first Independence Day address after taking office as Prime Minister.

Despite criticism at the time, the cleanliness campaign became a mass movement across the country and played an important role in providing crores of families with access to dignified toilet facilities.

Under the leadership of Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, the Delhi government has paid special attention to strengthening the Municipal Corporation financially. With the government’s support, the civic body has been working at a faster pace in sanitation and various other areas, he said.

Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said cleanliness is not the responsibility of any one department or agency, but a shared responsibility of every citizen.

The government’s objective in freeing Delhi from garbage is not merely to run cleanliness drives, but to make cleanliness a part of citizens’ daily behaviour and lifestyle, she said.

Government departments, local bodies, market associations, RWAs, educational institutions, industrial organisations, voluntary organisations and citizens will all be brought together to give the campaign the character of a broad-based people’s movement.

She said garbage and dirt are among Delhi’s biggest problems. Despite the large volume of waste generated every day, inadequate processing has led to garbage mountains in the city.

The government is now working with full seriousness and determination to address these problems. She said resolving the Municipal Corporation of Delhi's financial difficulties is a priority for the government.

--IANS

rch/dan