Anthem on 'plastic-free India' launched in seven languages

New Delhi, Feb 28: Union Minister Harsh Vardhan on Thursday launched an anthem as a part of a campaign to make India plastic-free by 2022, and stressed on strengthening plastic waste management and recycling ecosystem in the country.

The 'Plastic Waste-Free India' has been anthem, prepared and produced by Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya Smriti Manch (PDUSM), a non-profit organisation which claims to be working on various social and environmental issues. The anthem has been launched in seven languages -- Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, Tamil, Telugu, Malyalam and Kannada.

While launching the anthem at his residence here, the Union Environment Minister said to address the problem of plastic pollution, there was a need to educate the next generation of entrepreneurs and innovators.

"This is an important time for humanity since the actions taken by this generation will decide the course of the future of our planet. We are working with the stakeholders to completely abolish the use of single-use plastics by 2022 and strengthen plastic waste management and recycling ecosystem in our country," Vardhan said.

Praising the PDUSM and its president Vinod Shukla for the initiative, he said, "Late Pandit Deendayal is an inspiration to all of us. His nephew Vinod Shukla and the manch is doing excellent work to raise awareness and bust common myths surrounding plastic."

Shukla said, "PDUSM has released the anthem - an audio video campaign - to make India a plastic-free nation and strengthen plastic waste management besides recycling ecosystem on a pan-India level."

"The entire humanity is addicted to plastic packaging and our over-dependency on plastics has severely impacted our environment and health. Our manch has embarked upon on a mission to build a 'plastic waste-free India'," Shukla, the nephew of Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya, a BJP idealogue who died in 1968, said.

The organization is working in association with local communities, recyclers, rag-pickers, students and other stakeholders to push for better implementation of waste management and recycling mechanism, the PDUSM said.

PTI