Nearly 20,000 take Swachhta pledge at Attari border

Attari (Punjab) : Nearly 20,000 people took the 'Swachhata Hi Sewa' pledge at the Retreat ceremony at Attari, nearly 30 km from Amritsar, on Tuesday evening to commemorate the birth anniversary of Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi.

Field Publicity Officer Rajesh Bali administered the pledge in the presence of senior Border Security Force (BSF) officers and soldiers.

The Retreat ceremony witnesses lowering of the national flags of India and Pakistan at sunset by border guards of both countries to mark the closing of the gates at the international border.

Amritsar-based Field Outreach Bureau of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, in coordination with the BSF, organized the 'Swachhata Hi Sewa' pledge.

Thousands assembled at the border to watch the Retreat ceremony, Bali said.

In an atmosphere of national fervor, people took the pledge by raising their hands.

Bali said it was aimed at achieving the vision of 'Clean India' by October 2, 2019, on the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.