Railway Ministry releases third cleanliness audit

The Railway Ministry on Monday released the third party survey report on station cleanliness conducted by Quality Council of India (QCI). Union Railways Minister Piyush Goyal was present to grace the event.

The audit-cum survey was conducted by the Railways to increase the level of cleanliness standards and also to motivate states governments across the country to engage in a healthy competition when it comes to promoting railway stations.

Speaking on the occasion, Goyal said, "The Swachh Bharat Abhiyan launched by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi encouraged the Railway Ministry to prioritize cleanliness in stations across India."

Goyal further added, "In last four years, the Swachh Rail Swachh Bharat campaign has witnessed tremendous improvement in terms of cleanliness standards in platforms, trains, toilets, and trains."

Launching the survey, Goyal asserted, "To be very honest, the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan has been the greatest tribute to Mahatma Gandhi. For instance, during the last 4 years, the sanitation coverage in the country has gone up to 83% from just 38% in 2014. This is a major improvement."

The third survey declared Jodhpur as the cleanest railway station in the country followed by Jaipur and Tirupati in Andhra Pradesh.

In A category stations, Marwar has been placed at the first position, while Phulera station takes the second spot. Both the stations are from North Western Railway in Rajasthan. Warangal station of South Central Railway in Telangana has been placed at the third spot.

The third cleanliness survey covered 407 stations, including 75 stations in A1 and 332 stations in A category stations.