Pulling out India from clutches of plastic waste; PM Modi urges masses to curb ‘single-use plastic’
New Delhi, August 26: As the nation drools under the menace of plastic waste, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday urged the masses to observe the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi this year as a day to make India plastic-free. Not only urging the people in large, PM Modi also insisted municipalities, NGOs and the corporate sector to come up with ways for safe disposal of accumulated plastic waste before Diwali.
Speaking to the nation on his radio show Mann ki Baat PM Modi called for a mass movement after his Independence Day's address in which he had urged people to shun 'single-use' plastic to protect the environment. The Prime Minister in his Independence Day speech had said, “Can we free India from single-use plastic? The time for implementing such an idea has come. May teams be mobilised to work in this direction. Let a significant step be made on 2nd October.”
Furthermore PM Modi while speaking on Mahatma Gandhi Jayanti asked the people to participate in the annual 'Swachhta Hi Seva' or 'the quest for cleanliness is service' campaign. He informed the listeners that the annual event will begin on September 11 this year. PM Modi said that along with being open defecation free India should move towards being a plastic-free nation as it spoils the environment. He said, “This year, on Gandhi Jayati, when we celebrate Bapu's 150th birth anniversary, we shall not only dedicate to him an India that is open defecation-free but also shall lay the foundation of a new revolution against plastic, by people themselves, throughout the country.” He said people from all strata of the society should celebrate Gandhi Jayanti this year as a day to make "Mother India plastic-free".
The prime minister urged all municipalities, municipal corporations, district administrations, gram panchayats, government and non-governmental bodies to work towards ensuring adequate arrangement for collection and storage of plastic waste. "I also appeal to the corporate sector to come out with ways and means for appropriate disposal of all accumulated plastic. It can be recycled; it can be transformed into fuel. This way we can accomplish our task of ensuring safe disposal of plastic waste before this Diwali," he said. Diwali festival this year falls on October 27. He said all that is required to take up the challenge is resolve and "what can be a greater inspiration than Gandhi?".
Pressing on Yoga being a hot topic among world leaders, PM Narendra Modi said that most world leaders he met during his travels as the Prime Minister wanted to discuss Yoga with him. PM Modi credited to this level of awareness on Yoga to the 'International Yoga Day', an event recognised by the United Nations under PM Modi's governance. PM Modi said wherever he went across the globe, people wanted to talk about yoga for at least five-seven minutes. He also said that in recent times the conversation has also begun about Wildlife Conservation and Climate Change.