ONGC launches Swachh Bharat Abhiyan in all work centers

The Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) has launched a massive cleanliness campaign in its all work centers under the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, the largest sanitation initiative, taken up by the Government of India.

ONGC Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) D.K. Sarraf has kicked off the mission at Rajahmundry, which is one of its large operational areas in Andhra Pradesh. Sarraf paid floral tribute to the statue of Mahatma Gandhi before administering the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan pledge to all the employees.

While exhorting the employees to participate in the mission wholeheartedly, Sarraf said that clean citizen is a good citizen.

"External cleanliness is not sufficient. One should be clean from within," he added.

Under the mission, ONGC has plans to take up various initiatives including construction of toilet blocks in 2500 government schools in 26 districts spread over 13 states during the current financial year at a cost of Rs 100 crore.

Sarraf has launched this novel initiative at MPP School in Pedapalla village in Alamuru Mandal in East Godavari District. The project, named as Swachh Vidyalaya Abhiyan has been taken up in 20 schools by the ONGC today.

The project has been launched in two schools in Ganjam and eight schools in Gajapati districts of Odisha and in 10 schools near ONGC work centers in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Assam and Tripura. The mission is to achieve total sanitation in India over a period of next five years.

Director (Finance) A. K. Banerjee, Director (Technology and Field Services) Shashi Shanker, Director (Offshore) T. K. Sengupta, Director (Onshore) Ashok Verma and Director (Human Resource) Desh Deepak Misra, spearheaded the Cleaning movement at Delhi, Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Rajahmundry and Dehradun respectively.

In order to create awareness, ONGC, in its work centers across the country has organized various programmes including Walkathons, slogan writing, press conference etc. to highlight the importance of cleanliness towards improving overall health and environment.

ONGC has already signed a tripartite Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Archaeological Survey of India and Ministry of Tourism, Government of India for cleanliness and conservation of the iconic historical monument of India Taj Mahal at a cost of Rs 20.75 crores.