Over 2,000 residents of Surat, Gujarat came together to set a unique world record
Over 2,000 residents of Surat, Gujarat came together earlier this week in an attempt to break the existing Guinness World Record for most people sweeping the floor in a single venue. With over double the number of people participating than in the existing world record, they seem to be on course to officially set a new record. According to news agency ANI, 2,014 residents cleaned up the Udhana area of Surat on Wednesday.
According to a report in the
Times of India, the initiative was part of BJP MP CR Paatil's 63rd birthday celebrations, and a tribute to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, or the Clean India campaign.
PM Modi kicked off the Swachh Bharat campaign on October 2, 2014 on the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. He famously swept a narrow street in a North Delhi neighbourhood, tapped celebrities to join in the cause and led thousands of government employees and school children in taking a pledge to focus on cleaning the country.
Previously, the
record for the most people sweeping the floor was held by Limpiando Sonora 2015. A thousand people swept the floor in Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico in November 2015. That record attempt kicked off the campaign to have a cleaner Sonora state, and battle mosquito-borne diseases such as dengue and chikungunya.