On World Environment Day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday urged citizens to ensure that the flora and fauna thrive and take a pledge to preserve our planet’s rich biodiversity.
“On #WorldEnvironmentDay, we reiterate our pledge to preserve our planet’s rich biodiversity. Let us collectively do whatever possible to ensure the flora and fauna with whom we share the Earth thrive. May we leave an even better planet for the coming generations,” PM Modi tweeted.
On #WorldEnvironmentDay, we reiterate our pledge to preserve our planet’s rich biodiversity. Let us collectively do whatever possible to ensure the flora and fauna with whom we share the Earth thrive. May we leave an even better planet for the coming generations. pic.twitter.com/nPBMthR1kr
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) June 5, 2020
He also shared a clip from his last ‘Mann Ki Baat’ programme where he mentioned about conservation of rainwater and protecting the rich diversity of nature.
“On June 5, the entire world will celebrate ‘World Environment Day’. The theme for this year’s ‘World Environment Day’ is bio-diversity. This theme is especially pertinent in the current circumstances. During lockdown in the last few weeks the pace of life may have slowed down a bit but it has also given us an opportunity to introspect upon the rich diversity of nature or biodiversity around us,” PM Modi had said.
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“Much of the avian fauna had sort of disappeared due to sound and air pollution, and now after years people can once again listen to their melodic chirping in their homes,” he said.
PM Modi also said that water conservation, in particular the conservation of rainwater, is essential and exhorted everyone to strive for saving rainwater in the upcoming monsoons.
Meanwhile, on this very occasion of World Environment Day, Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change Prakash Javadekar launched the urban forest programme in 200 corporation cities of India.
“We have forests in rural areas but not much in urban areas. In many cities, there are 2-3 forests but we need more. Therefore, we have introduced the scheme of urban forests. In cities, there are gardens but not forests. We have to create forests so we decided to launch an urban forest programme in 200 corporation cities of India. We will fund it to some extent to compound it and to carry out minimum services there,” Javadekar said at the virtual celebration of World Environment Day 2020.
“Let us map forest lands and degraded land in cities. And if that is reserved for creating these urban forests, it becomes a people’s movement. I appeal to everyone to work together. We are thinking of giving a prize for creating good forests with people’s participation and in PPP mode in various urban cities,” he said.
(With ANI inputs)