Chandigarh, August 12:
With a view to generate awareness and motivate people against the usage of single use plastic, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was inked here today between the PUnjab Pollution Control Board and the National Cadet Corps (NCC) to utilise the services of NCC cadets. It was signed by Environment Minister Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer, Additional Director General NCC Punjab, Haryana, HP and Chandigarh Directorate Major General Rajiv Chhibber and Member Secretary, Punjab Pollution Control Board Krunesh Garg at NCC headquarters sector 31, Chandigarh.
This novel initiative would involve around one lakh NCC cadets and is part of chief minister Bhagwant Mann’s campaign against single use plastic launched on a statewide scale on August 5. The department will also launch awareness programs at different locations in the Districts, Sub Divisions towns and villages to put a stop to the use of Single Use Plastic /plastic carry bags and urge people to adopt alternates.
The assistance of officers, employees of the stakeholder departments and the officials / cadets of various units of National Cadet Corps (NCC) will also be taken to make the state free of the plastic waste/plastic carry bags. “The focus is on to make Punjab the healthiest state with a clean and pollution free environment as a legacy for the sake of posterity”, said Meet Hayer.
On the occasion, Major General Rajiv Chhibber expressed strong hope that the MoU would go a long way in ensuring a clean and green Punjab.
Notably, the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has issued notification under which manufacture, import, stocking, distribution, sale and use of identified Single Use Plastic (SUP) items as under have been prohibited with effect from the July 1, 2022.
