Union Tourism Minister Prahalad Singh said on Saturday in Puri that by cleaning the beach one could gain blessing of Lord Jagannath. The Minister also said the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan was not at all an event; it was nevertheless a struggle towards achieving a goal of a dirt-free country. Joining the clean drive near the Lighthouse on the beach, Singh said, “If we will clean the beach we will surely gain blessings of Lord Jagannath as the soil belongs to the Lord." He told that the beach in Puri was sacred because of Lord Jagannath and a true devout must keep in mind that beach remained clean always.
The drive was sponsored by the oil companies. Among others, Puri MLA Jayant Sarangi, noted sand artist Sudarshan Patnaik, BJP district president Asrit Patnaik and BPCL Odisha head Sanjay Sharma were present. Around 500 activists including students and teachers participated with broom and basket in hands and collected papers, polythene and garbage from Lighthouse to Chaitanya Square on the beach.
