Community members, volunteers  joined for ‘Swacchta Hi Seva’ Campaign in beneficiary schools across India

To commemorate the 150th anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, Coca-Cola India has joined ‘Swachhta Hi Seva’, an initiative of the Swachh Bharat Mission, which aims to generate greater public participation and reinforce the concept of “cleanliness as everyone’s business”.

Answering to the call-to-action of our Hon’ble Prime Minister, Coca-Cola India and its bottling partners, in partnership with The Akshaya Patra Foundation have come together by initiating activities to promote ‘Swachhta Hi Seva’ in beneficiary Govt schools across India. This is also in line with the Company’s global vision of creating a World Without Waste. Wide varieties of activities are planned in Govt schools in the state of Rajasthan, Orissa, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Uttar Pradesh.

About 300 Government schools across the country will be participating in the activities which will be organized by Akshaya Patra in 11 locations and with the help of enthusiastic young volunteers from AIKYA – Akshaya Patra’s volunteering arm, who will help make each activity an interactive learning session for children & teachers. The main objective is to drive awareness on the importance of clean and hygienic surroundings and promote effective waste management solutions.

As a part of the initiative, Coca-Cola India and Akshaya Patra have targeted to host a wide array of activities in about 30 schools in Nagpur (Maharashtra) to sensitize children on the importance of cleanliness and waste management from 20^th September till 2^nd October 2019.

Following is a list of the activities that are taking place:

• Pledge making drives: Every headmaster & student took a pledge to create awareness of cleanliness, ensure proper segregation of waste & conduct shramdaan to create a clean country
• Drawing competition: Students made drawings on topics such as – cleanliness is next to godliness & cleanliness is a civic duty; each school received a certification of participation from Akshaya Patra & Coca-Cola India.Cleanliness drives: Volunteers from AIKYA visited schools to spread awareness about the importance of cleanliness

On the association, Sundeep Talwar, CMO, Akshaya Patra said, “In a country like India, with such a vast geography, the focus on cleanliness is of prime importance. We intend to create awareness amongst govt school children. Children are our future. It should not only be restricted to cities, but each and every Indian including those in the rural areas is responsible to keep their homes & surroundings clean. Citizens need to be mindful of the waste generated and its disposal, which will go a long way in maintaining their own overall health. Cleanliness is indeed everyone’s business. We are honoured to be partnering with Coca-Cola for this initiative.”

Commenting on the initiative, Mr. Ishteyaque Amjad, Vice President, Public Affairs, Communications & Sustainability at Coca Cola India & South West Asia said, “Cleanliness is a quintessential form of discipline that one should never fail to follow in life. Considering the waste scenario in India, it is more important than ever to encourage cleanliness and waste management as a part of a healthy lifestyle. In alignment with the same, the Coca-Cola Company has a larger goal of creating a ‘World Without Waste’. Our recent engagement towards launching Asia’s largest packaging waste management venture is in response to the growing concerns around waste disposal. We at Coca-Cola India feel privileged to help make ‘Swachhta Hi Seva’ a success and urge every person to play a significant role in creating a cleaner, greener and litter-free India.”

This initiative will not only catalyze a positive change at the grass-root level but will also help children become the ambassadors of inducing and developing a waste-free ecosystem.