Prayagraj: The Namami Gange Pavilion, set up by the Namami Gange Mission, has emerged as an innovative platform to raise awareness about the government's efforts to clean and conserve the Ganga River.

Officials have highlighted that the ongoing Maha Kumbh, the world's largest religious gathering, will establish new global benchmarks with cleanliness and environmental sustainability at its core. A key milestone in this effort is the commitment to making the event completely free of single-use plastics.

To ensure seamless implementation, a dedicated workforce of 20,000 ‘Safai Mitras’ has been deployed to maintain cleanliness. Additionally, 2,500 ‘Gangadoots’ are monitoring toilet hygiene, while 5,000 ‘Kumbh Seva Mitras’ are managing the ghats and assisting visitors. A fully equipped residential colony was set for sanitation workers, and a special 'Vidya Kumbh' program was being organized to support their children's education.

The Swachhata Mitra Suraksha Bima Yojana has been introduced to safeguard the health and lives of sanitation workers and boatmen. Under this scheme, all sanitation workers and boatmen engaged in the Maha Kumbh are covered by a Rs 2 lakh life insurance policy, with the premium funded by the Swachh Kumbh Fund. This initiative not only aims to create a clean environment for devotees but also ensures the elimination of single-use plastics. Measures include providing shop spaces for vendors selling eco-friendly dona-pattals (leaf plates) and organizing joint cleanliness drives with 400 school principals and 4 lakh students. As part of the ‘Har Ghar Dastak Abhiyan’, awareness campaigns on plastic-free practices have reached a population over five times that of Prayagraj. The deployment of 1,500 Ganga Sevadoots, the distribution of facility slip messages promoting plastic-free initiatives, and strict regulations for vendors and institutions reinforce the eco-friendly commitment.

Extensive sanitation arrangements have also been made, including the installation of 1.5 lakh toilets, 5,000 urinals, 350 community toilets, 10 toilet complexes, 40 compactors, and 120 hopper tippers.

Through these pioneering efforts, the Maha Kumbh aims to set an example for future large-scale gatherings worldwide, blending tradition with sustainability.