Union Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw Takes ‘Shramdaan for Swachhata’ at Gurgaon Railway Station

Gurgaon, Haryana – In a proactive move to promote cleanliness and hygiene in the railway sector, Union Minister for Railways, Communications, and Electronics & Information Technology, Ashwini Vaishnaw, led a “Shramdaan for Swachhata” initiative at Gurgaon Railway Station this morning. Inspired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s call for ‘Ek Tareekh Ek Ghanta Ek Saath’ as part of the ‘Swachhata Hi Seva’ campaign, Vaishnaw actively participated in the cleaning of railway tracks and the station premises. The cleanliness drive, which saw the involvement of senior officers from the Railway Board and Northern Railway, was conducted in anticipation of Gandhi Jayanti.

Following the cleanliness drive, Union Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw boarded the 20977 Ajmer – Delhi Cantt. Vande Bharat Express departing from Gurgaon Railway Station to Delhi Cantt. During his journey, he personally assessed the cleanliness standards within the train and engaged with passengers to gather their feedback.

Upon reaching the Delhi Cantt. Station, Minister Vaishnaw was presented with a demonstration of the “14 Minute Miracle Cleaning” process for Vande Bharat Express conducted by the dedicated team known as ‘Swachh Vande Veers.’ This innovative cleaning protocol was officially launched, aiming to elevate cleanliness standards across all Vande Bharat Express services nationwide.

The “14 Minute Miracle Cleaning” method introduces a disciplined and precise approach to coach cleaning, significantly reducing the turnaround time for Vande Bharat trains. This streamlined process includes the deployment of staff for dry and wet mopping of both interiors and exteriors of the coaches, as well as efficient collection and disposal of garbage to maintain cleanliness.

Addressing the media after the launch of ’14 Minute Miracle Cleaning,’ Union Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw highlighted Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s continuous encouragement to explore new methods for improving service delivery to the masses. Vaishnaw emphasized that the newly introduced ‘Swachhata ka Naya Samkalp’ protocol will contribute to the reduction in turnaround time for Vande Bharat Express. He further announced that this initiative, commencing with Vande Bharat Express, will progressively extend to ensure cleanliness across the entire Indian Railways network.

As part of the annual ‘Swachhata Hi Seva Pakhwada’ (SHS) campaign from September 15, 2023, to October 2, 2023, the Ministry of Railways is dedicated to fostering a greener, more eco-friendly railway system and a ‘Swachh Bharat.’ During the initial 15 days of the SHS campaign, more than 2.19 lakh individuals participated in approximately 2050 activities, dedicating a total of 685,883 man-hours to promote ‘Swachhata.’

Notable achievements of the initiatives include the removal of approximately 105 tons of plastic from Railway premises and the collection of around 1085 tons of scrap from various Railway Establishments. A special initiative was launched to clear the areas around railway tracks, resulting in the cleaning of 12,700 Track Kms by Indian Railways.