Mumbai: Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar and hero of several blockbuster films has been roped in by Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to promote cleanliness in Mumbai as part of the Swachh Survekshan (Cleanliness Survey) 2018.
Civic officials informed on Sunday that Akshay has agreed to partner with the civic body following a written request sent to him asking for his support for creating awareness on the importance of cleanliness in the metropolis.
The Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs has been conducting the cleanliness survey this year which commenced from January 4 and will go on till March 10. It will be ranking urban and rural areas of the country on the basis of cleanliness.
Of the 434 cities that participated in the 2017 survey, Mumbai ranked 29th dropping from 10th rank in the earlier 2016 survey.
This year, the BMC wants to ensure that Mumbai’s ranking improves and has therefore roped in Akshay, whose film Toilet: Ek Prem Katha (Toilet: A Love Story) was not only a hit but contributed in promoting the important message of open defecation free villages and the need for every household to have a toilet.
The actor is now all set to release Pad Man scheduled to hit the screens on January 25. The film narrates the inspiring story of Arunachalam Muruganantham who produced affordable sanitary pads. Menstrual hygiene and sanitary pads are subjects of taboo in Indian society even as women suffer as sanitary pads are exorbitantly priced and inaccessible to women.
With the actor being admired for his bold social message-themed films, the BMC, too, wants to bank on this bankable actor to improve its ranking as people would accept his public message. Akshay would help promote the cleanliness campaign in the city through public service announcements in the form of videos, radio jingles and so on. The actor has already recorded a short video where he is thanking the people of Mumbai for their contribution towards cleanliness in the city.
One of the major issues that will come under the survey is the Ministry’s order on segregation of dry and wet waste, its collection by the municipal body, waste management, its disposal, composting of wet waste and so worth. The BMC has already made it mandatory for Mumbaikars to separate wet and dry waste at collection points. With the Ministry’s team already in the city for the survey, the city has also been swept clean.
Said to be the largest cleanliness survey of 400 million people in more than 4,000 towns and cities, the survey will also include citizens’ feedback on cleanliness initiatives by the municipal bodies, cleanliness, maintenance and beautification of public places and so forth.
