MoS Meghwal for voluntary action to avoid single use plastic

Union Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal on Sunday said people on their own should avoid single use plastic to help protect environment.

"Prime Minister (Narendra Modi) has called for ban on single use plastic. Can we discontinue single use plastic?. We have to take oath that I will not use single use plastic one day in a week" the Minister of state for heavy industries and public enterprises said here.

Addressing "Vision New India 2022-Development Through Technology for All" conclave jointly organised by his Ministry and the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, he said an alternative should be invented to replace single use plastic.

"India is one of the signatories of the Paris Agreement. We have to protect the environment and take suo motu action to reduce carbon emission", he said.

Members of the United Nations negotiated and adopted the Paris Agreement in which India has made four commitments, including reducing greenhouse gas emission intensity of its GDP by 33-35 per cent below 2005 levels by 2030.

Referring to the last public speech by former president A P J Abdul Kalam at IIM Shillong in 2015, Meghwal said the late leader had spoken about the need to save the Earth.

"It is the duty of the present generation to follow his words to save the earth. We follow the ideas of APJ Abdul Kalam. But we do not follow his words. We have to follow," the minister said.

Meghwal also mooted the idea of collaboration between corporates and academia on tapping renewable energy at Chennai Airport and referred to the example of the airport in Kochi, which uses solar power.

"Why cannot we introduce this (concept) in Chennai, Kolkata (airports) or in any other parts of the country? We have to take some suo motu action and it can be done under CSR activity", he said.

He said companies can form a consortium to take up the initiative and can collaborate with institutions like IIT Madras.