Effort to check air pollution: PM Modi launches national air quality index in 10 cities

New Delhi, Apr 6: In a coordinated effort to check increasing air pollution in the country, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday launched India's first Air Quality Index. The index will be initially operational in 10 cities.

This index will help the people know about the level of pollution in the air on a daily basis in real-time.

"Environment protection and development can go hand in hand," Prime Minister said while speaking on the launch event," in New Delhi's Vigyan Bhavan. [BJP completes 35 years: PM Modi greets workers on party's foundation day]

"We had found God in plants even before Jagdish Chandra Bose ji discovered life in plants, as mentioned in Gita & Mahabharat," PM he said at the inauguration of the two-day conference of state environment and forest ministers at Vigyan Bhawan here.

Conserving nature is an important aspect of the Indian tradition, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi who added that we have no right to exploit it.

"We have grown up in those traditions where nature is worshipped and where conserving nature is very important," Modi said.

"We have no right to exploit nature. This is not a part of our culture," he said.

The Prime Minister also said that India was one of the most sensitive countries about nature. "Per person carbon emission in India is very less."

He also said that India has practiced the concepts of recycling and re-using for a long time. "We have not borrowed it from outside."

Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar said that it was essential to maintain environmental balance.

"Our mandate is to save the nature using the best of the technologies," he said.

OneIndia News

(With inputs from IANS)