National Maritime Day: NCC initiates ‘Puneet Sagar Abhiyan’ to clean seashore, waterbodies

In keeping with the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the National Cadet Corps (NCC) has initiated a nationwide flagship campaign ‘Puneet Sagar Abhiyan’, to clean seashores/beaches and other water bodies, including rivers and lakes of plastic and other waste material. The initial phase of the ‘Puneet Sagar Abhiyan 2022’ is being conducted in a grand manner between April 01-05, 2022, coinciding with the National Maritime Day. More than 1.5 lakh cadets from all 17 State Directorates of the NCC are participating in various activities, positively impacting a population of approximately 50 Lakh citizens. 

The flagship event conducted in December last year was popular, having about 3.9 Lakh cadets from 127 coastal area NCC units participating in the month-long campaign, conducted between December 01-30, 2021, collecting almost 19 tonnes of plastic garbage. Considering its immense success, it was decided that the ‘Puneet Sagar Abhiyan’ would be taken up as a continuous activity, which will be conducted by all NCC units throughout the year.

The purpose of the Abhiyan is to educate locals and sensitize them about ‘Swachh Bharat’. It is envisioned to increase the awareness among the local population and future generations about the importance of keeping the beaches and riverfronts clean. Drawing and poster-making competitions, essay writing, poetry, article writing, debate, etc are also being conducted at various locations. The NCC cadets are also joined by NCC Alumni, locals, and tourists at a large number of places across the country. The Abhiyan gained mass popularity after Prime Minister Narendra Modi mentioned it in his ‘Mann Ki Baat’.

Image: PIB