Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been vocal about turning India into a plastic-free nation and his emphasis on the same during his August 15 Independence Day speech adds credence to this fact. In his speech, he urged citizens to eliminate the use of single-use plastic. Taking this initiative seriously, one family in Raipur, Chhattisgarh is distributing home-made cloth bags, free of cost, to everyone they encounter in the market to discourage the use of plastic.
"My wife makes these bags using old clothes like curtains, bed-sheets, shirts, etc. We have distributed hundreds of these bags to people," said Surendra Bairagi.
"Plastic causes pollution. It is harmful to human beings as well as animals like cows who end up eating them," he added.
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His wife Asha said, "We are inspired by our Prime Minister. If he can think on such a large scale and for the good of all we must contribute what we can to achieve the goal."
The Prime Minister in his Independence Day speech had urged citizens to eliminate the use of single-use plastic, besides suggesting that shopkeepers should provide eco-friendly bags to customers.
In his monthly "Mann Ki Baat" address too the Prime Minister had said that the time had come for the citizens to join hands in curbing single-use plastic.
PM Modi had given examples of merchants who have put up boards and placards requesting people to carry their own bags from home while shopping. He said that such a step is crucial to contribute towards environment protection and at the same time, it’s also pocket-friendly.
"This year, on the 2nd of October, when we celebrate Bapu's 150th birth anniversary, we shall not only dedicate to him an India that is Open Defecation Free, but also shall lay the foundation of a new revolution against plastic, by people themselves, throughout the country," PM Modi had said in his address.
(With ANI Inputs)