Maharashtra’s municipal corporations, municipalities and nagar panchayats have been directed to conduct a month-long ‘Seva Sankalp Abhiyan’ from September 17 to October 17, with 26 civic and community activities planned across local government areas.
The instructions were issued by the Urban Development Department through a circular released on Friday. The campaign is being organised to mark Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s birthday and the completion of 25 years of his tenure in constitutional office. The decision to conduct the campaign was taken by the General Administration Department on September 9.
The activities listed in the instructions include blood donation camps, visits to orphanages and old-age homes, tree plantation, health check-ups, adoption of a village for service activities, yoga and meditation programmes, plastic-free awareness drives, and initiatives focused on women’s health and sanitation. Local bodies have been asked to select and organise activities while considering local needs.
The campaign will also include a ‘Seva Yogdan’ programme in every department. Youth, women and senior citizens are to be involved, along with well-known people from education, art, literature, sports and social service. The instructions place particular emphasis on cleanliness drives in public spaces.
Municipal and local authorities have been asked to conduct cleaning activities at beaches, river ghats and stepwells. They have also been told to establish local committees for continued cleanliness at these sites after the campaign activities are completed. Following the cleanliness drives, public programmes and collective pledges have been suggested, along with video recording of the events.
The directive places implementation responsibility on Maharashtra’s urban local bodies, including municipal corporations, municipalities and nagar panchayats. The campaign is scheduled to continue for one month, ending on October 17.
