AMN
Today is Earth Day. The day is celebrated worldwide to demonstrate support for environmental protection. The day was proposed at the UNESCO conference in 1969 and the first Earth Day celebrations took place in 1970.
Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu has called upon people to renew commitment to shape collective future on this planet by preserving and replenishing earth’s valuable resources.
In his message on World Earth Day, Mr Naidu said, as the battle against COVID-19 continues to disrupt normal lives, people may have to reflect on the existing development paradigm. He called for greater balance into development planning and making earth a more healthy and sustainable planet.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has expressed gratitude to the planet for the abundance of care and compassion on the occasion of Earth Day. In a tweet, Mr Modi said people should pledge to work towards a cleaner, healthier and more prosperous planet. He also lauded all those working at the forefront to defeat COVID-19.
Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar has urged people to pledge to shed greed and adopt sustainable lifestyle on the occasion of Earth Day.Sharing a video in Twitter, Mr Javadekar said, Indian lifestyle, which is completely environment-friendly, is an example of how to move ahead.
He said, some people have the view that cutting down consumption will make economy suffer, which is wrong. He said, cutting down certain kinds of consumption means consuming other kinds of products which brings equity and justice.
Mr Javadekar said, the current lockdown due to COVID-19 has already given the message that unless there is social justice, a nation cannot fight such menaces effectively. He said on Earth Day, people should also resolve to protest against malpractices.
The Minister recalled Mahatma Gandhi’s words that the world has enough for everyone’s need, but not greed. He said, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has brought lifestyle issue into the Climate Change discourse.