The volunteers of the Hindustan Scouts and Guides and the students of two city colleges cleaned the premises of Rajah Mirasudar Government Hospital in Thanjavur to mark Gandhi Jayanti today.

The cleaning campaign was jointly organised by the Hindustan Scouts and Guides and the Thanjavur City Corporation. Besides the scouts and guides, around 100 students from the city’s Ramya Satyanathan Polytechnic College and Kunthavai Nachiar Government Arts College for Women too were part of the campaign.

K Ramamoorthy, retired IAS officer and state chief commissioner of the Hindustan Scouts and Guides, kicked off the campaign in the presence of Dr Pradeeba, head of the Department of Gynaecology at the government hospital.

“The main purpose of the campaign is to instil a sense of cleanliness and service to the society,” Ramamoorthy said. “The campaign will continue once in a month. In the forthcoming camps, we propose to rope in service organisations such as Rotary Clubs, Lions Clubs, Innerwheel Club, Jaycees, and environmental organisation Exnora, besides the concerned government departments.”

The ultimate aim is to make the government hospital a ‘centre of excellence for women and child health’, he added.

Dr Radhika Michael, vice-president of the Clean Thanjavur Movement, Kumar, principal of the Ramya Satyanathan Polytechnic College, Meenakshi, NSS Coordinator at the Kunthavai Nachiar Government Arts College for Women and Dr Sathish Kumar, president, Education With Enterprise Trust, participated in the campaign.

Er S Muthukumar, state secretary and I Kulandaisamy, district organising commissioner, of the Hindustan Scouts and Guides, made the arrangements for the cleaning campaign.

The Hindustan Scouts and Guides organised a candle light march and patriotic singing by 1,100 children on August 15. It also organised a Freedom Film Festival, with the help of the Films Division of India, and the Central Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, from August 26 to 31.