India Moving Ahead With Clear Roadmap On Environment, Climate Change: PM Modi

India has a clear roadmap to protect the environment and climate change while balancing the needs of the present and the future, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Monday.

Speaking on the occasion of World Environment Day, PM Modi said if India has expanded its 4G and 5G telecom networks, it has also enhanced its forest cover on an equal footing.

Underlining the theme of this year's Environment Day - the campaign to get rid of single-use plastic, the Prime Minister expressed happiness that India has been working continuously in this direction for the past 4-5 years.

"On the one hand, we have banned single-use plastic while on the other hand, plastic waste processing has been made mandatory", he said. Due to this, the Prime Minister said that there has been a compulsory recycling of about 30 lakh tonnes of plastic packaging in India which is 75 percent of the total annual plastic waste produced in India, and around 10 thousand producers, importers, and brands have come under its ambit today," PM Modi said.

The Prime Minister highlighted that India of the 21st century is moving forward with a very clear roadmap for climate change and environmental protection. Underlining that India has created a balance of Present Requirements and Future Vision, the Prime Minister stated that necessary help has been provided to the poorest of the poor while huge steps have been taken keeping in mind the energy needs of the future.

"During the last 9 years, India has made an unprecedented focus on green and clean energy", a government press release quoted PM Modi as saying.

The Prime Minister said gave examples of solar power and LED bulbs that have helped in saving people's money as well as contributing towards protecting the environment. Throwing light on India's leadership during the global pandemic, the Prime Minister informed that India started Mission Green Hydrogen and took major steps towards natural farming to save soil and water from chemical fertilizers.

"In the last 9 years, the number of wetlands and Ramsar sites in India has increased almost 3 times as compared to earlier", the Prime Minister said, as he informed that two more schemes have been launched today that further the campaign of Green Future, Green Economy," the release said.

The Prime Minister emphasised that every country in the world should think above the vested interests for the protection of the world climate. Pointing out that the model of development where the thought of developing one's country and then worrying about the environment has been prevalent for a long time among big and modern countries of the world, the Prime Minister underlined that even though such countries achieved the goals of development, it was the environment of the whole world that paid the price. Even today, the Prime Minister continued, the developing and underdeveloped countries of the world are suffering from the flawed policies of a few developed countries. "For decades, there was no country to stop this attitude of some developed countries", the Prime Minister said as he expressed delight that India has raised the issue of Climate Justice in front of every such country.

"In the thousands of years old culture of India, there is nature as well as progress", the Prime Minister remarked as he credited its inspiration to India's attention to ecology and economy. The Prime Minister said that as India is investing unprecedentedly in its infrastructure, it is focussing equally on the environment. Drawing comparisons of boost in economy and ecology, the Prime Minister gave examples of the expansion of 4G and 5G connectivity on one hand whereas the country's increased forest cover on the other hand.

He further added that while India built 4 crore houses for the poor, there has been a record increase in the number of Wildlife Sanctuaries as well as wildlife in India.