more-in Twelve education institutions in Tamil Nadu bagged the top Swachhta ranks for 2017 announced in New Delhi on Thursday. Coimbatore-based Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham bagged the top rank among technical institutions. The Kongu Arts and Science College in Erode bagged the first rank in ‘colleges’ category. A total of 3,500 institutions in the country competed in four categories and 174 institutions were short-listed based on various parameters. Union Human Resource Development Minister Prakash Javadekar presented the awards to 25 institutions in New Delhi on Thursday. Amrita University spokesperson said that the university clinched the award for six parameters – availability of toilets and its maintenance, maintaining the toilet-student ration as 1.4, availability of clean running drinking water, garbage disposal and segregation of garbage, cleanliness of kitchen in hostel and University and maintaining greenery on the campus. Kongu Arts and Science College correspondent A.K. Elango said that steps taken to keep the premises green by planting over 1,000 trees, and adoption of villages to create an awareness against open-defecation brought it the laurel. The Ramakrishna Mission Vivekanandha College in Chennai got the third place in colleges category, Sri Ramachandra Medical College and Research Institute - Chennai, RMD Engineering College and RMK Engineering College in Chennai all under the technical institutions category bagged third, fifth and sixth places respectively. Under the government institutions category Madurai Kamaraj University in Madurai bagged the second position, and Alagappa University in Karaikudi bagged the third position. Sri Ramakrishna College of Arts and Science, and K.G. College of Arts and Science in Coimbatore bagged the fifth and sixth rank among the colleges category. Sri Ramakrishna College of Arts and Science (formerly SNR Sons College) has been ranked fifth among the colleges category. The college maintained the five parameters – maintaining highest hygienic standards, cleanliness system, waste disposal system, greenery on the campus and reaching out to the surroundings, he adds. The Vivekanandha College of Arts and Science for Women in Tiruchengode came fourth in the colleges category, and its sister institution Vivekanandha College of Engineering for Women bagged the same rank in the technical institutions category. It was the activities of NSS, Green Club, and the other departmental associations, in the cleanliness campaign enabled both these institutions to win this coveted recognition. B. T. Sureshkumar, Principal, Vivekanandha College of Arts and Science for Women, said that the college had adopted Molipalli and Karumanur villages, for cleanliness campaign, and creating necessary facilities. Special teams from the University Grants Commission/AICTE visited both the colleges in August, and videographed all the activities.

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