Gorakhpur: Gorakhpur Nagar Nigam launched a city-wide Swachh School Campaign under the Swachh Bharat Mission 2.0 to promote sanitation awareness and sustainable waste management practices among students.Additional municipal commissioner Pramod Kumar said the initiative aims to instil responsible environmental habits among young citizens while supporting broader goal of making the city a 7-Star Garbage Free City.Unlike a one-day cleanliness drive, the campaign has been designed as a long-term behavioural change programme with educational institutions at its core. Officials said the initiative highlights the idea that education and environmental responsibility must progress together for lasting civic transformation. The campaign is guided by the motto ‘Shiksha aur Swachhta Abhiyan: Vidyalaya se Vikas tak’.The programme focuses on key aspects of urban sanitation like solid waste management, hygiene practices and promotion of Reduce, Reuse and Recycle (RRR) principles. It also sensitises students about issues including menstrual hygiene management and environmental responsibility.Within first two months, around 350 govt, aided and private schools in urban Gorakhpur registered for the campaign, engaging more than 15,000 students. The initiative aims to reach over 50,000 students and 1,000 teachers from Classes 6 to 12. A digital portal and social media platforms are being used to track participation and progress.From Apr, next phase will introduce Swachh School Star Ratings and competitions such as Waste-to-Art, slogan writing, poetry and digital reels to encourage students to act as ‘Swachhata Ambassadors’ within their communities.
