Ashwini Vaishnaw participated in the cleaning of railway tracks and the station premises (File)
The Union Minister for Railways, Ashwini Vaishnaw on Sunday launched the '14 Minute Miracle Cleaning' of Vande Bharat Express by the 'Swachh Vande Veers' at the Delhi Cantt Railway Station, an official release said.
He also inspected the level of cleanliness in the train and interacted with the passengers.
The '14-Minute Miracle Cleaning' involves cleaning the coaches with discipline and precision. The fast-cleaning drill will cut down the turn-around time of the Vande Bharat trains.
The process involves the deployment of staff in coaches for dry and wet mopping of the interiors and exteriors of the coaches and the collection of garbage bags and suitable disposal of the waste to ensure Swachhata.
Addressing the media after the launch of '14 Minute Miracle Cleaning', the Union Minister said, "Prime Minister Narendra Modi always inspires us to find new methods and ways to improve the delivery of services to the masses."
"We have started a new protocol with this 'Swachhata ka Naya Sankalp' which will ensure a reduction in turnaround time for the Vande Bharat Express", he added.
He further said that this process has been started with Vande Bharat Express and it will be gradually taken forward, so as to ensure that cleanliness can be spread across India Railways.
Earlier in the day, Mr Vaishnaw gave 'Shramdaan for Swachhata' at Gurgaon Railway Station in Haryana, taking inspiration from PM Modi's clarion call for 'Ek Tareekh Ek Ghanta Ek Saath' under the 'Swachhata Hi Seva' campaign.
Mr Vaishnaw participated in the cleaning of railway tracks and the station premises. Senior officers of the Railway Board and Northern Railway also participated in the cleanliness drive ahead of Gandhi Jayanti.
Like every year, this year also Ministry of Railways is observing 'Swachhata Hi Seva Pakhwada' (SHS) from September 15 to October 2, with every effort to ensure the successful implementation of this campaign, aimed at fostering a much greener and more eco-friendly railway system and ensuring a 'Swachh Bharat'.
This year, during the first 15 days of the SHS campaign, more than 2.19 lakh people have participated in around 2050 activities, devoting 685,883 man-hours to 'Swachhata'.
Some of the key highlights of the initiatives include the removal of around 105 tons of plastic from the Railway premises and the collection of around 1085 tons of scrap from various Railway Establishments.
A special drive was launched to clear the area around railway tracks. Under this initiative, 12,700 Track km was cleaned by the Indian Railways.
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