Addressing Swachh Bharat Diwas 2019 at the bank of River Sabarmati, Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged the people of India to give up single-use plastic by 2022. He said this initiative will benefit the environment, decongest roads and sewer lines, and protect biodiversity.
"Gandhi ji liked cleanliness, environment protection and animal protection. Plastic is a major threat to all three of them. That's why we have to achieve the target of eradicating single-use plastic from India by 2022," the Prime Minister said.
PM Modi lauded the enthusiasm shown towards this initiative. "I have been told that about 20,000 tonnes of plastic waste has been collected during this period. It has also seen that the use of plastic carry bag is decreasing very fast. I am also aware that today, crores of people across the country have pledged not to use single-use plastic," he said in his address.
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This will also benefit the environment, help prevent blockage of roads and sewer lines of our cities, and also protect our livestock and marine life, said the PM.
PM Modi also congratulated the villages of India on becoming open defecation free. He further said that this achievement is only a stage and efforts towards a clean India will continue in days to come.
"The Swachh Bharat Mission is proving to be a lifesaver and is also working to raise the standard of living. According to UNICEF, the project in the last 5 years has added over Rs 20 lakh crore to the Indian economy. This has created more than 75 lakh employment opportunities in India, most of which have been availed by people residing in villages. Not only this, it has a positive impact on the level of education of children, on our productivity and entrepreneurship," PM Modi said.
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