Affix Cleanliness Messages On Tiffins: Centre Requests 'Dabbawalas'

Government has advised Mumbai's iconic 'Dabbawalas', one of the brand ambassadors for Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM), to affix stickers with messages on cleanliness on the cover of every tiffin box they deliver to clients.

The message on the top of the cover should be "Please wash your hands before eating", while message for underside of top cover be "Please dispose of left-over food into waste bins only," said a senior Urban Development Ministry official.

Known world over for its efficiency in delivering tiffins, Dabbawalas deliver about 200,000 tiffin boxes every day.

"We request you to kindly create message stickers around Swachh Bharat and affix these stickers on the cover of every tiffin box of each of your clients," Secretary in Urban Development Ministry and Mission Director (SBM) Praveen Prakash said in a letter, dated July 8, to Mumbai Tiffin Box Suppliers' Association (MTSA) President Rahgunath D Medge. Stating that the message stickers should also carry the picture of the Swachh Bharat logo, he requested MTSA to share photographs of these tiffin boxes with messages so that it could be set as "an example for others to emulate".

"Please also arrange to disseminate these photographs on social media (both Facebook and Twitter) for larger dissemination of these messages, and for us to retweet and share," he added.

Given the "iconic stature" of Dabbawalas, he said, "we are confident that this initiative through you will have a huge impact on people's attitudes towards the whole issue of waste disposal".

Mr Prakash said the SBM has entered a very critical stage where there is an "urgent need" for all stakeholders to step up their efforts to make this a true "people's movement- a 'jan andolan' in spirit and action".