Friday 19 / April / 2024
Muscat: Oman’s famed cleanliness is an example that must be followed by all Indians, both in Oman and abroad, according to India’s Ambassador.
Indra Mani Pandey was speaking on the occasion of the conclusion of the Swachhta Hi Seva (Cleanliness is Service) campaign, which was run by the Indian Embassy as part of the Indian Government’s “Clean India” (Swach Bharat) initiative, aimed at making India a far cleaner nation by October 2, 2019, which is the 150th birth anniversary of Indian freedom fighter Mahatma Gandhi, who is widely known as the Father of the Nation. “I think all Indian residents in Oman, and back home in India should admire and appreciate Oman’s efforts in making it (Oman) such a clean country,” said Pandey. “His Majesty and the government have made lots of investment into keeping Oman a clean and beautiful nation that all Indians appreciate when they come here.”
“I also have a message for all Indian residents in Oman: the people and government of this country have made great efforts for maintaining the natural beauty of the country, and we also have to help them keep it that way, and respect their initiatives in this field,” he added.
“The non-resident Indian (NRI) community has a big part to play in becoming an example towards making our country clean, not just by helping to maintain the places they live in, but by also sharing these ideas with their countrymen back home.”
The Swachhta Hi Seva campaign ran from September 15 to October 2, and was geared towards raising awareness towards cleanliness and civic duty among Indian citizens. “The relationship between Oman and India goes back a long, long way, even before our governments began ties,” added the Indian ambassador.
“Indians and Omanis used to visit each others’ lands for trade and business, and that has stayed strong even today. I invite all Omanis here to visit India in the future, and see what a clean country India has become. Our strong connections are very good for both countries."
“India at the moment is changing very rapidly, and it is very important to be a part of this change and contribute to it in a positive way,” he said. “If more people come to our country and see a cleaner, greener India, then they will be more inspired to stay for business, tourism, or any other interest they have in the country. In terms of cleanliness, I think Oman is an example all the people of India should follow.”
The Swachhta Hi Seva campaign is another effort by the Indian Government and its embassy in Oman to ramp up stronger relations with other nations and the Indian diaspora, who live in them, and comes on the heels of the Indian Embassy in Oman championing the International Day of Non Violence, which as decreed by the United Nations in 2007, also falls on October 2 every year.
With India also having celebrated its 70th year of independence on August 15, the Indian Embassy has made efforts to bring various trade and cultural shows to the Sultanate, in an effort to create stronger ties and bring in better business investment between the two countries.
