Kiren Rijiju urges citizens to ‘plog run’ on Mahatma Gandhi’s 150th birth anniversary

As India gears up to celebrate the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi on October 2, sports minister Kiren Rijiju has urged the nation to join the Fit India Plog Run in a unique initiative. The 'Fit India Plog Run' initiative is being held to pay tribute to the father of the nation on his birth anniversary as the day also marks Rashtriya Swachhta Diwas. 'Plogging' involves picking up plastic and other waste materials from the surroundings while jogging. The activity, therefore, has a two-pronged effect of 'Swasth and Swachhta', or staying fit while keeping the country clean. 

The nation-wide Fit India Plog Run is part of the Fit India Movement launched by Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi on August 29, 2019. 

Taking to Twitter, sports minister Rijiju posted a video urging the citizens to join in this movement, “Our Honourable Prime Minister’s vision for the Fit India Movement is to turn it into a people’s movement… so I urge all of you to participate in this in large numbers…Kyunki Hum Fit Toh India Fit.” 

A total of 1200 Kendriya Vidyalayas across the country, CBSE-affiliated schools, industry bodies such as FICCI, CII, PhD Chambers and Assocham, 2500 RWAs in Delhi and NCR are working together to organize the Fit India Plog Run across the nation on October 2. The Fit India Plog Run will be held in at least 1500 locations across the country and the overall number is likely to increase.