By 2022, India to eradicate single-use plastic: PM Modi

Ahmedabad : Celebrating Swachh Bharat Diwas 2019 on the banks of Sabarmati river, PM Narendra Modi pledged to ban single-use plastic in India by 2022. He said the initiative by the government will benefit the environment, decongest roads and sewer lines, and protect biodiversity.

"Gandhi ji liked cleanliness, environment protection and animal protection. Plastic is a major threat to all three of them. That's why we have to achieve the target of eradicating single-use plastic from India by 2022," the Prime Minister said.

He also applauded people for showing great enthusiasm to make the initiative a success. "I have been told that about 20,000 tonnes of plastic waste has been collected during this period. It has also seen that the use of plastic carry bag is decreasing very fast. I am also aware that today, crores of people across the country have pledged not to use single-use plastic," he said in his address.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi also congratulated the villages in India for becoming open defection free. He added that the achievement is only a stage and efforts towards the clean India.

"The Swachh Bharat Mission is proving to be a lifesaver and is also working to raise the standard of living. According to UNICEF, the project in the last 5 years has added over Rs 20 lakh crore to the Indian economy. This has created more than 75 lakh employment opportunities in India, most of which have been availed by people residing in villages. Not only this, it has a positive impact on the level of education of children, on our productivity and entrepreneurship," PM Modi said.