Hans News Service Dharmavaram

HealthMinister and Dharmavaram MLA Y Sathya Kumar Yadav actively participated in the State government’s ‘Operation Clean Sweep’ sanitation drive on Saturday near Pothukunta Shiva Temple in Dharmavaram town.

Accompanied by Jana Sena Party State General Secretary Chilakam Madhusudhan Reddy, the Minister personally removed weeds along the roadside, cleaned the surroundings, and joined municipal workers and local residents in various sanitation activities. He also interacted with the public to raise awareness about the importance of maintaining public hygiene.

In his address, Sathya Kumar Yadav said the NDA coalition government, under Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan, is committed to building a clean and developed Andhra Pradesh through widespread public participation. He highlighted that large-scale cleanliness drives are being conducted every third Saturday under ‘Swachandhra – Swarna Andhra’ initiative. He informed that Operation Clean Sweep is being implemented from May 22 to June 20 to intensify sanitation efforts across the State. The programme follows a structured approach: identification and clearance of red and yellow garbage spots in the first week, cleaning of drains and canals in the second week, residential area drives in the third week, and commercial area focus in the fourth week. The initiative covers all 123 urban local bodies across the State.

Quoting Mahatma Gandhi’s famous words, ‘Cleanliness is next to Godliness’, Sathya Kumar Yadav stressed that cleanliness is closely linked to public health, economic progress, and social responsibility. He praised the transformative impact of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Swachh Bharat Mission, launched on October 2, 2014, which led to the construction of nearly 12 crore household toilets and helped protect women’s dignity.

Citing World Bank estimates, the Minister noted that poor sanitation causes nearly 6% loss to the country’s GDP. He added that developing Open Defecation Free (ODF) areas has significantly improved public health and saved lives. He urged citizens to cooperate with municipal authorities and sanitation workers. He warned against dumping garbage and plastic waste into drains, which causes blockages and flooding during monsoons.