India should lay the foundation for a new revolution against single-use plastic on Mahatma Gandhi’s 150th birth anniversary, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Mann Ki Baat
Speaking at his monthly Mann Ki Baat address to the nation, Modi said: “This year, on the 2nd of October, 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.
“Let us celebrate Gandhi Jayanti this year as a mark of our plastic-free India.
“I urge all municipalities, municipal corporations, district administration, gram panchayats, government, and non-governmental bodies and organisations – in fact, each and every citizen – 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 proactively 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 Diwali,” he said.
A new Fit India Movement will also be launched on August 29, said Modi.
“Fit India movement will be launched on August 29, on the occasion of Swami Vivekanand’s birth anniversary.
“There will be goals that will be fixed for it, too. It is currently being celebrated as National Sports Day. It will be an interesting campaign for all.”
Modi said that his appearance on the Man Vs Wild television episode with Bear Grylls was an attempt to generate interest in India’s potential as a tourist hub. “The show has given me an opportunity to connect with youth across the world.”
Language hassles
Commenting on how he and Grylls, who does not speak Hindi, understood each other, Modi said: “Bear Grylls was wearing a cordless device that converted everything I said into English during the shoot. That’s how he understood what I was saying in Hindi during the episode.”