Centre to set up Rashtriya Swachhata Kendra at Rajghat

The government will set up Rashtriya Swachhata Kendra under Swachh Bharat Mission at Gandhi Smriti and Darshan Samiti (GSDS), Rajghat, to mark the centenary year of the Champaran Satyagraha.

It will be set up by the Ministry for Drinking Water and Sanitation.

The Ministry of Culture and Tourism has also developed an 'e-guide' (audio-visual) app e3.eguide.net.in to create awareness for tourists visiting the National Museum in Delhi.

This was announced by Minister of State for Culture and Tourism Mahesh Sharma while addressing media persons on the culmination of "Swachhata Pakhwada" on Wednesday.

Minister for Rural Development, Panchayati Raj and Drinking Water and Sanitation Narendra Singh Tomar assured that the work to set up the proposed Swachhata Kendra will begin in two-three months in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture.

Tomar said since the launch of Swachh Bharat Mission on October 2, 2014, more than four crore toilets in houses have been built and 1.94 lakh villages and 135 districts have become open defecation-free (ODF).

"Apart from Sikkim, Kerala and Himachal Pradesh, which are ODF states, six to seven more states will soon be declared ODF."

Sharma said India had jumped 25 places to move to 40th place in World Tourism Index, according to a survey announced last month.

"We are also carrying out cultural mapping of India under the 'Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat' programme. A portal will be set up through which representatives from different cultures from across the country, artists and artistes will be reached out to and connected," said Sharma.

The Minister said 116 monuments have been already covered under the initiative of keeping areas around Archaeological Survey of India monuments polythene-free.

Asked to name states from which he said cooperation was not forthcoming for the endeavour, Sharma said: "It will not be fair to mention names since it is a joint effort of the states and the Centre. But we will be writing to all states. Some governments have not responded and we are requesting them again."

--IANS

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