Keep public areas clean after festivals: Harsh Vardhan

New Delhi:Health Minister Harsh Vardhan Friday urged people to help in keeping public areas clean after Ramlila and Durga Puja.

"Fellow citizens. Please don't kill spirit of Swacch Bharat Andolan (Clean India Campaign). Please help clean up public areas after Ramlila and Durga Puja," the health minister said in a tweet.

The comment comes a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched his Clean India Campaign.

The nine-day Shardiya Navratri, a major festival in most parts of north and eastern India, culminates in Vijaya Dashami or Dussehra.

The festival is celebrated by setting up Durga Puja pandals and also by staging Ramlila depicting the epic "the Ramayana".

He also urged the people to resolve to conquer lifestyle-related health problems and wage a war against maternal mortality.

"On this Dussehra, let us resolve to conquer health problems caused by bad lifestyle. A social movement over good health will make India strong.

"...Let's embark upon a crusade against child/maternal mortality and preventable diseases," he said.