Govt to organise ‘Gandhi March’ & ‘Swachhata Pledge’ on Oct 2

Bengaluru: The Karnataka government will organise a state-wide ‘Gandhi March’ and ‘Swachhata Pledge’ events on October 2, in commemoration of the completion of 100 years since Mahatma Gandhi took over the movement of the freedom struggle in Belagavi.

The famous Congress plenary session presided over by the Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi in Belagavi in 1924 gave momentum to the country’s freedom struggle. Stalwarts like Motilal Nehru, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose and Sarojini Naidu were present on the occasion.

“We will also organise various programmes throughout the year. As the first phase of the programme, on Gandhi Jayanti on October 2, a 1 km ‘Gandhi Walk’ and a ‘Swachhata Pledge’ campaign will be organised. We have planned programmes at the district, taluk, and municipal levels across the state,” Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar told media persons at Vidhana Soudha.

He said that in Bengaluru, the march will take place next Wednesday, starting at 9 am from Gandhi Bhavan and will end at the Gandhi statue at Vidhana Soudha. Representatives from all political parties will be invited to participate in this event.

“Since the birth anniversaries of both Mahatma Gandhi and former PM late Lal Bahadur Shastri fall on the same day, garlands will be placed on the statues of both leaders. Afterwards, the students participating in the walk will take the Swachhata Pledge at the Banquet Hall of Vidhana Soudha. Additionally, 500 school and college students from Bengaluru will take the pledge via Zoom. This is a government programme aimed at instilling Gandhi’s ideals in the younger generation,” he added. He said that the district in-charge ministers will participate in district-level programmes, and local MLAs will participate at the taluk level. “We request participants to wear white clothes and Gandhi caps during the walk,” he said.

He added that throughout the year, the government and the Congress will organise separate programmes to spread Gandhi’s teachings and values to the younger generation.

“To allow the public to take the Swachhata Pledge, an app has been developed. So far, 35,000 people have registered on the app. Those who take the pledge will receive certificates online. This is the first phase of the programme, and more events will be held throughout the year. After the government’s event, a separate programme will be organised by the party at 12 pm at Bharat Jodo Bhavan in Bengaluru,” he informed.