Commemorating seventy fifth year of India's independence, a coastal cleanup drive will be carried out at 75 beaches across the country for 75 days from 3 July 2022.

The target of the drive is to remove 1,500 tonnes of garbage from the sea coasts which will be a huge relief to marine life and the people staying in coastal areas.

A first-of-its-kind and longest running coastal cleanup campaign with the highest number of people expected to be participating in it, the drive will convey the message of “Swachh Sagar, Surakshit Sagar” for the prosperity of coastal areas.

Reviewing the preparations for the upcoming "International Coastal Cleanup Day 2022" at Prithvi Bhavan, the headquarters of Earth Sciences Ministry, the Union Minister Jitender Singh said that the annual event, which is organised on the third Saturday of September every year, is falling on 17 September this year which is, coincidentally, the birthday of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has been pioneering the cause of cleanliness (Swachhta), sea beach protection, environment and climate protection in all its forms.

Singh said that this year’s event also coincides with the celebrations of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav in the seventy fifth year of the country's independence.

Talking about the uniqueness of this year’s event, Singh said that the participation of common man is essential to convey the message of “Swachh Sagar, Surakshit Sagar” for the prosperity of not only coastal areas but also other parts of the country.

Singh also suggested that other than coastal regions, non-coastal regions should also plan to disseminate the message to the local people on the International Coastal Cleanup Day through environment and climate change departments/divisions in various universities, colleges and other institutions.

He was of the view that sharing knowledge and information regarding coastal cleanup and security is in the overall interest of the country and not only a few coastal states/districts.

The Union Earth Science Minister previewed the logo and tagline for the day and other thematic aspects related to it. He also directed the officials involved for blitzkrieg of pre-event activities in the run up to the main event.

The 75-day long event will start on 3 July 2022 with the release of brochure and a media interaction. There will be formal launches across the country, more so in the coastal states, with opinion makers and celebrities attending the local events.

The review meeting was attended by DG, Indian Coast Guards, senior officials of the Ministry of Earth Sciences and other organisations which are involved with hosting the event.

Also Read: IIT Madras Develops Robot 'HomoSEP' To Clean Septic Tanks Without Human Intervention And End Manual Scavenging

Swachh Sagar, Surakshit Sagar

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