Under the Prime Minister's flagship 'Swachh Bharat Mission' and with the help of World Bank, the Central government has identified 10 iconic places for observing international standards of cleanliness, officials said. The government said it is also in the process of drafting standard operating procedures (SOP) to ensure cleanliness and waste management at 10 national parks and tiger reserves.
‘To ensure cleanliness and waste management, 10 iconic places in India are identified for observing international standards of cleanliness.’
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The 'iconic' places identified are Vaishno Devi (Jammu and Kashmir), Taj Mahal, Agra, Manikarnika Ghat-Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh), Kamakhya Temple (Assam), Jagannath Puri(Odisha), Ajmer Sharif Dargah (Rajasthan), Meenakshi Amman Temple (Tamil Nadu), Balaji temple Tirupati (Andhra Pradesh), Golden Temple, Amritsar (Punjab) and Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, Mumbai, (Maharashtra). "We have selected 10 iconic places where with the technical assistance of the World Bank, we will uphold international standards for cleanliness," Parameswaran Iyer, Secretary, Ministry of Drinking Water & Sanitation, said here.
He said the government had also sought help from international experts and a team of the World Bank officials would visit these places and hold a meeting in the first week of July.
Adding that the state governments are already working towards this, Iyer along with Ajay Narayan Jha, Secretary, Environment and Forest Ministry, told reporters that the initiative will require participation of corporate houses, both private and public, and people.
The officials said the 'Swachh Bharat Mission', the flagship programme of Prime Ministers Narendra Modi, has made "remarkable progress" in the past 18 months and is "very much on track".
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Source-IANS