World Environment Day 2020: PM Modi Reiterates Pledge To Preserve Biodiversity, Other Ministers Follow The Suite, Plant Trees

New Delhi: Every year, June 5 is recognised as the World Environment Day and is celebrated with a unique theme, calling for concentrated efforts to protect the environment. For World Environment Day 2020​, the theme is biodiversity and bringing the nation’s attention on protecting our rich biodiversity, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Twitter wrote, “On #WorldEnvironmentDay, we reiterate our pledge to preserve our planet’s rich biodiversity. Let us collectively do whatever possible to ensure the flora and fauna with whom we share the Earth thrive. May we leave an even better planet for the coming generations.”

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PM Modi shared his message for the World Environment Day with a video message from his latest Mann ki Baat episode in which he had referred to World Environment Day. During the programme, PM Modi had stressed upon the importance of biodiversity and how the coronavirus induced lockdown has given us an opportunity to introspect upon the rich diversity of nature or biodiversity around us. He had said, “Much of the avian fauna had sort of disappeared due to sound and air pollution, and now after years people can once again listen to their melodic chirping in their homes.”

PM Modi had called for practising rainwater harvesting, planting trees and to facilitate water for the birds.

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Wishing people on the World Environment Day, Prakash Javdekar, Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change called to do something environment-friendly – plant trees. “This will create oxygen bank for life. This is how we can grow our tree cover and create additional carbon sink”, Mr Javdekar wrote on his social media.

Along with this, Mr Javdekar also talked about conserving water and saving electricity by switching to cleaner and renewable sources of energy like solar energy, using LED lights and keeping a check on our electricity consumption.

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Mr Javdekar also launched the Urban Forest Scheme to develop 200 ‘Nagar Van’ across the country in five years. Speaking at the virtual celebration of World Environment Day 2020, Mr Javdekar said, “We have forests in rural areas but not much in urban areas. In many cities, there are 2-3 forests but we need more. Therefore, we have introduced the scheme of urban forests. In cities, there are gardens but not forests. We have to create forests so we decided to launch an urban forest programme in 200 corporation cities of India. We will fund it to some extent to compound it and to carry out minimum services there.” Javadekar said at the virtual celebration of World Environment Day 2020.

On the same lines, Chief Minister of Delhi Arvind Kejriwal appealed to plant saplings for Mother Earth. In his message, the CM highlighted that the recent events which include the outbreak of Coronavirus and a subsequent lockdown have reminded us that the environment around is delicately balanced. Calling people to come together to protect the environment, CM Kejriwal said, “To fight to protect the Earth’s environment will be much harder. And it will not be something that the people of Delhi or India can win alone. But if we come together again, with a common purpose, we can once again achieve tremendous things. Together let us build a city filled with clean air, pure water and happy, healthy people.”

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Jagat Prakash Nadda, National President of BJP planted a sapling on World Environment Day 2020 because he believes that one small step goes a long way to protect nature and reverse its degradation.

In a video message, Bhupesh Baghel, Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh talked about trees and how the world has stopped planting them. Picking a very poignant point, the CM said, “If these trees provided Wi-Fi, then we do not know how many trees would be planted but all they give is oxygen.”

CM Baghel informed that Chhattisgarh is fortunate that 44 per cent of its land is covered by forests. He also shared that on the occasion of World Environment Day, he has planted a sapling in his office premises and urged everyone to plant at least one tree and take its full responsibility.

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Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh too planted a sapling and urged the citizens of the country to follow the suite and plant at least one plant in a year. Sharing a photo from the plantation drive, the CM wrote, “These trees and plants are essential for the prosperity of our land and the better future of future generations. Let us all contribute in making the state, the country and the world better. Plant saplings, grow greenery.”

Mr Chouhan also talked about the rising temperature and the upcoming natural disasters and said that we should only take as much from nature as it can fulfil itself.

V Muraleedharan, Minister of State for External Affairs and Parliamentary Affairs called for a people’s movement to protect the environment and conserve biodiversity, as he planted a sapling at his residence.

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Speaking to ANI, a news agency, Mr Muraleedharan said that coexisting with nature is India’s approach to protecting biodiversity and urged people to adopt a sustainable way of life. He added,

India contributes to 8 per cent of the global biodiversity with just 2.5 per cent of the land. Coexisting with every creature and living being in the whole universe is our approach to protect biodiversity.

Rahul Gandhi, Member of the Indian National Congress shared a popular couplet of poet Saint Kabir and called for immediate action. The couplet loosely translates to acting now as soon the disaster will come, leaving no time to act.

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In a social media post, Chief Minister of Punjab, Captain Amarinder Singh, talked about the recent crisis including Coronavirus, and cyclones and the uncertainties of life. With this, he called to protect the environment. He also recalled the noble deed – 72 lakh saplings planted by the state government in 2019 and said, “Let’s all make Punjab clean and green!”

Chief Minister of West Bengal, Mamata Banerjee mentioned the ecological damage caused by the recent Cyclone Amphan in Kolkata and South Bengal. Wishing the World Environment Day, the Chief Minister urged citizens to work towards restoring the greenery in state. In a social media post, she wrote, “Save green, save life. After the cyclone, incalculable ecological damage has occurred in #Kolkata and south #Bengal. Tens of thousands of trees have been uprooted. We must all work together to restore the greenery in our state.”

Chief Minister of Uttarakhand Trivendra Singh Rawat planted a sapling at his residence and urged people to follow the same. While addressing the citizens, the Chief Minister talked about the state’s green cover and the start of Chipko Movement – a movement started by the people of Uttarakhand to protect the trees. He urged people to take a pledge that occasions like marriage, birthday, getting a job and others will be celebrated and marked by planting a sapling.

Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Yogi Adityanath participated in a plantation drive and appealed for protecting the world by preserving nature and the environment. In a Twitter thread, the CM addressed the issue of the Coronavirus pandemic and the lesson it has given us. he wrote, “The crisis of the global pandemic Corona infection has created conditions before us that every citizen is forced to think that the harm we do to the environment by playing with nature, we must pay for it.”