A 15-day special ‘Swachh Office Drive’ for ensuring cleanliness at all Government offices across the country has been launched as a intensive thematic campaign under Swachh Bharat Mission. Launching the drive, Minister of Urban Development Shri M.Venkaiah Naidu planted a Neem sapling at Nirman Bhawan and inspected the building for about an hour for an on the spot assessment of sanitation.
The Minister visited different corridors of the building, individual rooms, toilets, storage places, water tanks and solar panels on the terrace of the building etc., and verified maintenance registers.
In a meeting with senior officials later, Shri Naidu has noted that there has been considerable improvement towards ensuring cleanliness and there is still scope for improvement. He has directed senior officials of the Ministry and CPWD to ensure regular inspection by senior officials to ensure total sanitation.
The Minister directed action to be taken for dumping waste material in one of the Electricity Distribution Boards.
Ahead of today’s launch of Swachh Office Drive, the Ministry of Urban Development issued a Swachh Office Manual suggesting Standard Office Procedures to all the central ministries and State Governments to ensure sanitation. Norms suggested therein include ensuring water supply @ 45 litres per head per day, one toilet for every 25 persons, urinals to be provided based on employee strength, removal of stains every week, checking electrical fittings twice a week, acid cleaning and scrubbing of toilets daily, schedule of inspections etc.
The Manual enables self-assessment framework for improving Swachh Office Ratings, identification of gaps in sanitation infrastructure for correctional interventions.