NEW DELHI: Educational institutions countrywide must make students aware of the harmful effects of obesity on health, said Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan while launching the second phase of the ‘Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam 2.0’ campaign and a microsite for it at PM Shri school on Thursday.
Persuading students to become warriors in the environmental campaign, the minister also appealed to the public to plant 10 crore saplings across the country in honour of their mothers. “Plant them in your school, house, village or anywhere,” he said.
Referring to the country’s waste management problem, he pointed out, “India’s 140-crore population generates 26,000 tonnes of plastic waste daily. This is equivalent to 26,000 economy cars.” However, compared to the rest of the world, India has never been a polluting nation, he added.
The minister also launched special modules for this initiative, including Eco Clubs, as part of the Mission LIFE web portal.