PM Narendra Modi on Sunday addressed the nation during the 89th edition of his monthly radio program, Mann Ki Baat. In his talk, he addressed the issue of cleanliness highlighting the pictures of litter spread in areas of Kedarnath during the ongoing Char Dham yatra.
The pictures of the Kedarnath valley full of litter have emerged as the temple saw pilgrims in heavy numbers during the Char Dham Yatra. This horrified many netizens who underlined the need to keep our surroundings and especially places of public importance, clean.
The Prime Minister on Sunday expressed the same concern in his latest edition of Mann ki Baat. He highlighted that while many pilgrims are sharing their contentment over their experience of Char Dham Yatra, many are also displeased with the littering of the place by some visitors. “Devotees in Kedarnath are upset over the litter spread by some pilgrims. It is not right that we go to a holy pilgrimage and find heaps of litter there,” PM Modi said.
Char Dham Yatra is underway in Uttarakhand where thousands of pilgrims are arriving. I’ve seen pilgrims in Kedarnath are saddened by litter spread by some pilgrims. There’re also some pilgrims who are cleaning nearby areas of their stay during their Yatra: PM Modi in Mann Ki Baat pic.twitter.com/A9kn2oqpwx
— ANI (@ANI) May 29, 2022
However, the PM highlighted, that in the midst of these complaints, good pictures from the yatra have emerged as well. “Where there is devotion, there is creativity and positivity too,” he added. He talked about a few devotees of Kedarnath, who are also practicing cleanliness apart from performing religious rituals. He mentioned that while some devotees are picking up trash from the pilgrimage road, and cleaning the places nearby, many NGOs and groups associated with the Swachh Bharat Mission too, have taken it upon themselves to keep the premises clean.
PM Modi said, “In our culture just as pilgrimage is important, the importance of service at these sacred places is highlighted as well. I will also say that the former is incomplete without the latter.” The PM highlighted that in this regard, the work of Manoj Benjwal from Rudraprayag is a great inspiration. For the past 25 years, Benjwal has undertaken efforts for conserving the environment and making the pilgrimages plastic-free.
Similarly, Modi lauded the efforts of Surendra Bagwadi from Guptkashi who regularly hosts cleanliness drives in the town. Champa Devi from Dewar Village also got praised during Mann ki Baat for her efforts to maintain cleanliness. The PM highlighted her work in creating awareness about waste management among women from her village. Her large-scale efforts in planting trees have led to the creation of a forest in itself.
“Because of the efforts of such people, the divinity in the land of Gods and our sacred places is preserved,” the PM added.
