The government is constantly taking new steps to deal with plastic pollution. On Tuesday, Secretary of the Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation Vini Mahajan told the media that 40,000 km of rural roads have been constructed from plastic waste, of which 13,000 km have been completed in the last two years.
Mahajan said that more than 55 per cent of the villages had been declared ‘ODF Plus Model’ under the Swachhata Abhiyan. Also, more than 5 lakh garbage collection vehicles are working, and there has been significant progress in managing greywater and plastic waste.
He said, “These innovations reflect our commitment to sustainable development and clean India’s future.”
The Campaign Was Successful
Talking about the progress of the ‘Swachhata Hi Seva-2024’ campaign, Mahajan said that more than 19.70 lakh programs have been organized under this initiative with the public participation of more than 17 crore people. About 6.5 lakh sanitation units have been rejuvenated, and more than 30 lakh sanitation workers have benefited from one lakh sanitation worker safety camps. Over 45 lakh trees have been planted under the Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam campaign.
Cleanliness Is Not Just A Milestone, But A Continuous Journey
At the same time, the Ministry of Road Transport has recently made it mandatory to use plastic waste in the construction of service and slip roads along the national highways. However, figures show that the use of plastic waste in constructing national highways is still not happening at the expected pace.
Mahajan emphasized that cleanliness is not just a milestone but a continuous journey in which behaviour change plays an important role. With the ‘Swabhav Swachhata, Sanskaar Swachhata’ theme, the ‘Swachhata Hi Seva’ campaign has once again united the country for its commitment to cleanliness, public health and environmental sustainability.
