Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Sunday said all citizens should devote one minute every day for awareness towards the environment and cleanliness and stressed on the need to counter the challenges of climate change and global warming.
He was speaking to reporters after taking part in a clean-up drive at the Juhu beach in Mumbai, as part of the third Environment and Climate Sustainability Working Group (ECSWG) meeting of the G20.
Wearing protective hand gloves, delegates from the G20 countries also participated in the beach clean-up drive at the Juhu Chowpatty along with Maharashtra Governor Ramesh Bais and Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Bhupender Yadav.
The drive was organised by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change as part of India’s G20 Presidency. Governor Ramesh Bais gave the pledge of maintaining beach cleanliness to the invitees, while CM Shinde stressed on the need for public participation to make the campaign a success.
Shinde said the participation of citizens will help maintain environment balance and create awareness about it. “If all citizens devote one minute out of their daily routine to the cause of environment and cleanliness, it would help to tackle the challenges of climate change and global warming,” he said Union Minister of State for Environment and Forest Ashwini Kumar Choubey, Maharashtra’s Tourism and Skill Development Minister Mangal Prabhat Lodha, Union Secretary of Environment and Climate Change Leena Nandan, Mumbai Municipal Commissioner Iqbal Singh Chahal, Commissioner of Police Vivek Phansalkar, Principal Secretary Environment and Climate Change Pravin Darade and officials of various government departments were present on the occasion.
