The Indian Navy warships will join the global campaign to remove plastic waste from the seas, contributing 100 ship-days for the mission this year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced on Friday as he virtually participated at the One Ocean summit hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron.
“India is committed to eliminating single-use plastic,” the Prime Minister said.
He said that India had recently undertaken a nationwide awareness campaign to clean plastic and other waste from coastal areas. Three hundred thousand young people had collected almost 13 tons of plastic waste.
Macron hosted the One Ocean Summit at Brest in France to step up the international community’s ambition on maritime issues and put into practice shared responsibility for the oceans.
“India will be happy to join France in launching a global initiative on single use plastics,” Modi said, thanking Macron for the initiative.
He referred to India’s history as a maritime civilization and its ancient scriptures and literature that mentioned about the gifts of the oceans including marine life.
“Today, our security and prosperity are linked to oceans,” Modi said, noting that India’s ''Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative'' had marine resources as a key pillar.
The Prime Minister pledged India’s support to the French initiative of a ''High Ambition Coalition on Bio-diversity Beyond National Jurisdiction ''. “We hope for a legally binding international treaty this year.”
Check out DH's latest videos
(Published 12 February 2022, 01:25 IST)
JOIN US