Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday teamed up with fitness influencer Ankit Baiyanpuriya in a cleanliness exercise, as part of his call to participate in an hour-long “shramdaan” across the country on the eve of Gandhi Jayanti.
Sharing a 4-minute video on his official X account, PM Modi posted, “Today, as the nation focuses on Swachhata, Ankit Baiyanpuriya and I did the same! Beyond just cleanliness, we blended fitness and well-being also into the mix. It is all about that Swachh and Swasth Bharat vibe!”.
The video shows PM Modi and Baiyanpuriya wielding brooms and cleaning and picking up trash.
In a recent episode of “Mann Ki Baat”, the Prime Minister appealed for “one hour of shramdaan (or voluntary labour) for swachhata” on October 1 by all citizens and said it would be a “Swachhanjali” to Mahatma Gandhi on the eve of his birth anniversary.
Who is Ankit Baiyanpuriya?
Ankit Baiyanpuriya (Ankit Singh), a Haryana-born fitness enthusiast and former wrestler, is popular for his desi workout regime. He grabbed headlines for his “75-day hard challenge”, which focuses on mental health well-being and discipline.
Speaking to news agency IANS, he said, “It was during my personal research on fitness that I came across the video of American entrepreneur Andy Frisella’s 75-day Hard Challenge, I decided to implement and introduce similar techniques in my workout.”
BJP leaders take part in cleanliness drive
Several BJP ministers and leaders, including Amit Shah, JP Nadda, RK Singh, Bhupendra Patel, Sarbananda Sonowal, Hardeep Singh Puri, Meenakshi Lekhi, Yogi Adityanath, among others took part in the cleanliness drive today.
According to the Union Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry, more than 9.20 lakh sites across the country have been adopted for the mega drive.
The Union Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry said NGOs, market associations, self-help groups, faith groups, trade bodies and private sector companies, among others, volunteered for the “shramdaan” in more than 22,000 market areas, 10,000 water bodies, 7,000 bus stands/toll plazas, 1,000 gaushalas, 300 zoos and wildlife areas and various other locations in rural and urban India.