Raksha Mantri Rajnath Singh flagged off special plogging awareness drive rally in Delhi Cantt as part of Swachhta Pakhwada to create awareness against single use plastic in the country. He himself take part in the event by picking waste material from the area.More than 3,000 people, including schoolchildren participated in the plogging and collected sizeable single use plastic waste.Raksha Mantri said Mahatma Gandhi had equated spitting with crime.He further said that Mahatma Gandhi raised an army of satyagrahis, the same way Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi raised the army swachhagrahis. In a very short span of time Swachh Bharat has become a mission. More than 700 districts in the country have become Open Defecation Free (ODF). Ten crore sixty lakh toilets have been made in the country. Now, it is the turn of reducing the single use plastic. Shri Rajnath Singh appealed, “Let us create an awareness against the use of single use plastic.”Raksha Mantri appreciated nukkad natak, performed by a local theatre group. He also administered Swachhta pledge to the people present in the event. The events have been conducted towards spreading awareness against the ill-effect of plastic on environment, bring about behavioural change with respect to sanitation and to give up use of plastic including carry bags, plastic cutlery, plastic water bottles, etc.Raksha Rajya Mantri Shri Shripad Naik appealed the people present at the event to stop using single use plastic and said, “If people start carrying bags with them, use of single use plastic may gradually reduce.
By doing this we will be able to save our future generations from environment related problems.” He also urged people to use environment friendly things instead of plastic.Ministry of Defence is organisinga massive plogging programme at more than 400 locationsthroughout the countrytoday. All the three services, Indian Coast Guard, Defence Public Sector Undertakings, Ordnance Factory Board (OFB), Cantonment boards, national Cadet Corps (NCC), Boarder Road Organisation (BRO) and various other defence establishments at different locationsorganised similar such events throughout the country.The Army cleaned up waste at 17 locations across the country right from Siachen to Jaisalmer and Bhuj to Bairengte (Mizoram). Similarly, Indian Navy cleaned up waste at 30 locations from Mumbai to Karwar (Karnataka) and Kolkata to Vishakapatnam. Indian Air Force also cleaned up waste at 150 locations from Hindon to Upper Shillong (Meghalaya) and Nagpur to Trivandrum. Apart from the three services, ICG did the exercise in its 47 locations, Cantonment Boards 62 locations, NCC 18 locations, Sainik Schools 31 locations, BRO 18 locations, Comptroller General of Defence Accounts 20 locationsacross the country.The aim of this massive exercise is to raise awareness in the society to collect plastic waste and make the surroundings clean. The slogan for this event is ‘Plastic Se Raksha – Swachhata Hi Suraksha’.Swachhta anthem played in all the events across the country. Community awareness programmes such as nukkad nataks, debates, quizzes, painting competitions among students etc. will also be organised.