NEW DELHI: Private television and FM channels and radio stations have been requested to give adequate attention to the 'Swachhta ki Seva' campaign launched by the prime minister Narendra Modi in his 'Mann ki Baat' broadcast on 27 August 2017.

“Keeping in view the public interest and importance of the matter,” the ministry of information and broadcasting has requested the media to “build the idea of the campaign in their programming so as to bring the message home to the maximum viewers.”

In his broadcast on All-India Radio, Modi had called upon the nation to undertake the SHS campaign from 15 September 2017, culminating on Gandhi Jayanti, that is, on 2 October 2017.

The aim of the campaign, he said, was to intensify the focus on cleanliness and create an environment of cleanliness across the country in the spirit of a 'Jan Andolan' (public movement).

The ministry, in its request, said: “(The) media has a strong social and cultural impact on (the) society because of its inherent ability to reach out (to) a large number of people in the shortest possible time. (The) media, therefore, can play an important role in building public opinion and awareness in favour of the campaign.”

The request was sent to seven different organisations of TV, FM and community radio channels. These are: News Broadcasters Association (NBA), the Indian Broadcasting Foundation (lBF), Association of Regional Television Broadcasters of India, Association of Radio Operators for India (AROI), Community Radio Association (CRA), Federation of Community Radio Stations (FCRS), and Community Radio Forum of India.