NEW DELHI, July 23 : Indian Merchants’ Chamber (IMC) President Anant Singhania, who is also CEO J. K. Enterprises today met Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Science & Technology; Minister of State (Independent Charge) Earth Sciences; MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh and extended support for Mumbai sea beach cleaning, as a part of the 75-day Coastal CleanUp campaign initiated by the Ministry of Earth Sciences from 5th July this year.
Singhania, who was accompanied by Managing Committee Members of the IMC, said that they not only pledged to join the campaign but also to mobilise their resources for the rejuvenation and beautification of “Queen Necklace”, which is the popular name by which the Marine Drive Beach is known.
Dr Jitendra Singh recalled the long legacy of IMC which is one of the oldest Business Chambers in India and which had the privileged opportunity of having Mahatma Gandhi as its member at one point of time. He said, with IMC’s long record of contributing their might for national campaigns of people’s interest, it would be in the fitness of things that they also become a part of the first-ever longest coastal CleanUp campaign “Swatch Sagar- Swachh Bharat” .
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has taken a lead in the cleanliness campaign and has motivated the entire nation to keep the 7500 Kilometres long coastal line of India clean, safe and healthy for mankind, said Dr Jitendra Singh. Prime Minister Modi is known to lead by example, the result of which is that this initiative has gradually evolved into a mass campaign, he said.
Dr Jitendra Singh sought active cooperation of members of civil society to achieve the target to remove 1,500 tonnes of garbage, mainly single use plastic from the sea coasts on “International Coastal Clean-up Day” on 17th September 2022, which incidentally is also birthday of Prime Minister Narendra Modi celebrated as “Sewa Divas” in the country.
The Minister recalled the contribution of IMC established on 7 September 1907 in Mumbai to represent interests of Indian trade, commerce, and industry. It was the Chamber’s dedication that made Mahatma Gandhi patronise it and accept, in 1931, its honorary membership — a rare honour bestowed upon any chamber of commerce in the country.
Singhania fully supported the Government’s move to ban single-use plastic and assured the Minister that Indian Merchants’ Chamber will undertake several activities in coordination with MoES for beach cleaning activities in Mumbai Coastal zone.
Dr Jitendra Singh pointed out that in April this year, the largest volunteering festival of cleaning beaches and water bodies of the country –Jallosh-Clean Coasts were held across 16 locations in Mumbai and Navi Mumbai starting from the Dadar beach on Earth Day, April 22. Thousands of Mumbaikars from citizen groups, children and youth forums, corporates, non-profit organisations, consular staff as well as the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM) and Government of Maharashtra’s Mangrove Foundation joined this collaborative action plan.
Dr Jitendra Singh said, this is a mass campaign and sought everybody’s view as to how best to further strengthen the campaign which has already caught the imagination of the masses and the nation. He said, the Ministry of Earth Sciences is spearheading it but at the same time seeking a “whole of government” approach.
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