BHUBANESWAR: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday praised school students of Odisha for taking the initiative to keep the State’s coast clean and free of litter. In his monthly ‘Mann Ki Baat’, the Prime Minister said climate change remains a major threat to marine eco-systems and the litter on the beaches is disturbing. “It becomes our responsibility to make serious and continuous efforts for addressing these challenges. I would like to talk about an effort of coastal cleaning in the coastal areas of the country Swachh Sagar - Surakshit Sagar,” he said.
The PM said in Odisha,over 20,000 school students took a pledge that they would inspire their family and others, for the Swachh Sagar initiative. He said the campaign which started as part of the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav lasted 75 days. Public participation in this was a sight to behold. During this effort, many cleanliness-related programs were seen for the entire two and a half months. “I would like to congratulate all the people who took part in this campaign,” he said. In his monthly talk in March Modi had praised 22-year-old Rahul Maharana of Puri for clearing plastic waste from the seashore.