‘Economy And Ecology Can Go Together,’ Says Prime Minister Narendra Modi On World Environment Day 2021

New Delhi: “Today, on the occasion of World Environment Day, India has taken another big step,” said Prime Minister Narendra Modi as he announced a detailed roadmap for the development of the ethanol sector. PM released an ‘ambitious E-100 pilot project’ related to the production and distribution of ethanol across the country.

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Now ethanol has become one of the major priorities of 21st century India, said the Prime Minister.

On the occasion of World Environment Day 2021, PM Modi along with Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar and Union Petroleum Transport Minister Dharmendra Pradhan addressed a virtual meeting.

PM Modi said that India’s capacity for renewable energy has increased by more than 250 percent in 6-7 years.

India is today in the top-5 countries of the world in terms of installed renewable energy capacity, the Prime Minister further said.

Also Read: Opinion: At War With The Ecology- The COVID-19 Pandemic Is The Biggest Environmental Crisis Precipitated By Humans

He also said that India is setting an example in front of the world when it comes to protecting the environment.

It is not necessary to block development works while doing so. Economy and Ecology both can go together, can move forward, this is the path India has chosen. 21st century India will get energy only from the modern thinking and modern policies of the 21st century, he said.

The Prime Minister went on to say that India is now a proponent of climate change resolution and is among the top 10 nations on the Climate Change Performance Index.

India is moving ahead with a great global vision, be it the International Solar Alliance, realising the vision of One Sun, One World, One Grid or the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure initiative. India is also aware of the challenges that are being faced due to climate change and is also working actively, stated Prime Minister Modi.

He emphasised that the capacity of solar energy has been increased by about 15 times in the last six years.

Also Read: World Environment Day 2021: COVID-19 Will Not Be The Last Pandemic, Says Environmentalist Chandra Bhushan

Prime Minister also noted that a large part of the country’s railway network has been electrified and airports are also being rapidly made solar power-based.

Before 2014, only seven airports had solar power facility, whereas today this number has increased to more than 50, he stated.

World Environment Day is celebrated annually on June 5 across the globe and is one of the biggest events organised by the United Nations (UN) to generate awareness about the significance of nature and environment action. This year’s theme for Environment Day is ‘Ecosystem Restoration.’

NDTV – Dettol Banega Swasth India campaign is an extension of the five-year-old Banega Swachh India initiative helmed by Campaign Ambassador Amitabh Bachchan. It aims to spread awareness about critical health issues facing the country. In wake of the current COVID-19 pandemic, the need for WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) is reaffirmed as handwashing is one of the ways to prevent Coronavirus infection and other diseases. The campaign highlights the importance of nutrition and healthcare for women and children to prevent maternal and child mortality, fight malnutrition, stunting, wasting, anaemia and disease prevention through vaccines. Importance of programmes like Public Distribution System (PDS), Mid-day Meal Scheme, POSHAN Abhiyan and the role of Aganwadis and ASHA workers are also covered. Only a Swachh or clean India where toilets are used and open defecation free (ODF) status achieved as part of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2014, can eradicate diseases like diahorrea and become a Swasth or healthy India. The campaign will continue to cover issues like air pollution, waste management, plastic ban, manual scavenging and sanitation workers and menstrual hygiene.