Union Minister for Railways, Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw Undertakes ‘Shramdaan for Swachhata’ at Gurgaon Railway Station

The Union Minister for Railways, Communications and Electronics & Information Technology, Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw gave “Shramdaan for Swachhata” at Gurgaon Railway Station in Haryana yesterday morning, taking inspiration from Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi’s clarion call for ‘Ek Tareekh Ek Ghanta Ek Saath’ under the ‘Swachhata Hi Seva’ campaign. Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw participated in the cleaning of railway tracks and the station premises. Senior officers of the Railway Board and Northern Railway also participated in the cleanliness drive ahead of Gandhi Jayanti.

The Union Minister for Railways then boarded the 20977 Ajmer – Delhi Cantt. Vande Bharat Express from Gurgaon Railway station to Delhi Cantt. He inspected the level of cleanliness in the train and interacted with the passengers. At the Delhi Cantt. Station, the Union Minister was shown a demonstration of “14 Minute Miracle Cleaning” of Vande Bharat Express by the ‘Swachh Vande Veers’. With this he launched the cleaning process for all Vande Bharat Express services across the country.

The “14-Minute Miracle Cleaning” involves cleaning the coaches with discipline and precision. The fast-cleaning drill will cut down the turn-around time of the Vande Bharat trains. The process involves Deployment of staff in coaches for Dry and Wet mopping of the interiors and exteriors of the coaches and collection of garbage bags and suitable disposal of the waste to ensure Swachhata.

Indian Railways Cleans 12,700 Kms of Rail Tracks and Devotes Nearly 7 Lakh Man-Hours for ‘Swachhata’

Addressing the media after the launch of ‘14 Minute Miracle Cleaning’, the Union Minister for Railways said Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi always inspires us to find new methods and ways to improve delivery of services to the masses. Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw said, “We have started a new protocol with this ‘Swachhata ka Naya Samkalp’ which will ensure a reduction in turnaround time for the Vande Bharat Express”. He further added that this process has been started with Vande Bharat Express and it will be gradually taken forward, so as to ensure that cleanliness can be spread across India Railways.

Like every year, this year also Ministry of Railways is observing ‘Swachhata Hi Seva Pakhwada’ (SHS) from 15.09.23 to 02.10.23 with every effort to ensure the successful implementation of this campaign, aimed at fostering a much greener and more eco-friendly railway system and ensuring a ‘Swachh Bharat’. This year, during the first 15 days of SHS campaign, more than 2.19 lakh people have participated in around 2050 activities, devoting 685,883 man- hours for ‘Swachhata’.

Some of the key highlights of the initiatives include the removal of around 105 tons of plastic from the Railway premises and the collection of around 1085 tons of scrap collected from various Railway Establishments. A special drive was launched to clear the area around railway tracks. Under this initiative, 12,700 Track Kms were cleaned by the Indian Railways.

Disclaimer: This is an official press release by Pib.