Newmai News Network Aizawl | October 2 Mizoram Planning minister, Lalsawta on Tuesday kicked off state-wide cleanliness week, an initiative of Urban Development & Poverty Alleviation Department (UD&PA), in a function held at Vanapa Hall. Inaugurating the cleanliness week, Lalsawta said that cleanliness and health are closely inter-related and so is cleanliness and development. He expressed happiness that people have become conscious about maintaining clean environment. He also said that people has begun to value and admire those towns which hold rank in the cleanliness competition organized by the government under New Economic Development Policy (NEDP). “Cleanliness and dirtiness are within our reach. So maintaining cleanliness depends on our choice,” he said. Lalsawta then called for collective effort to maintain cleanliness. The minister also gave away prizes to winners of cleanliness competition conducted this year. Mizoram has been launching cleanliness campaign since 1977 more than three decades before the Swachh Bharat Mission was launched by the centre. Under the theme of Climate Change, cleanliness and sanitation drive, which is an important initiative of the government under NEDP towards cleanliness, Mizoram Sanitation Task Force was constituted to oversee the overall sanitation drive. Apart from this, District Sanitation Task Force and Town Sanitation Task Force were also constituted in all the eight districts and towns. Subsequently, a cleanliness competition among towns was opened by Urban Development & Poverty Alleviation minister Zodintluanga on July 16 this year. The completion was divided into two categories- district capitals and towns. Setting different parameters, panel of experts conducted survey and inspected 23 towns in September. Under category-I, Lunglei bagged the cleanest district capital in the state followed by Serchhip and Mamit. Under category-II, Biate in Serchhip district bagged the cleanest city/town in the state. While Zawlnuam in Mamit district won the second prize, Lunglei bagged the third prize. First prize for catergory-I and II carries Rs 1 lakh, second prize- Rs 70, 000 and third prize-Rs 50,000. In the overall competition, Biate was declared the cleanest of all towns in the state.
