New Delhi: Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Prakash Javadekar today hoisted the International Blue Flag on 8 beaches of the country. India received the International Blue Flag certificate for these beaches on 6 October 2020 when an international jury consisting of member organizations such as UNEP, UNWTO, UNESCO, IUCN, ILS, FEE, announced the award in Copenhagen, Denmark. . Blue flag certification is a globally valid eco-label awarded by the Danish Foundation for Environment Education based on 33 rigorous standards.
Praising the efforts of the state and central government and the people, Javadekar said that the clean beaches indicate that the health of the coastal environment is good and the Blue Flag certificate is a global recognition of India’s conservation and sustainable development efforts.
Environment Minister informed that in the coming 3-4 years, 100 more such beaches will be built with blue flag. He said that the mass movement should be made not only in terms of beauty and tourism potential but also in view of the importance of reducing marine waste and making the coastal environment sustainable.
The places where the International Blue Flag was hoisted include Kappad (Kerala), Shivrajpur (Gujarat), Ghoghla (Diu), Kasarakod and Padubidari (Karnataka), Rushikonda (Andhra Pradesh), Golden (Odisha) and Radhanagar (Andaman and Nicobar Diu Group). Huh. The flag was also hoisted on the shores by ministers and senior officials of the respective states and union territories.
India started its journey of sustainable development of coastal areas on the occasion of World Environment Day in June 2018. India launched the I-AM-SAVING-MY-BEACH campaign simultaneously in 13 coastal states. Since then, the prestigious program of the ministry has been implementing BEAMS (Beach Environment Aesthetic Management Services).
Today, the BEAMS program in 10 coastal states has achieved international standards of cleanliness on the seashore. More than 500 tonnes of solid waste were collected on these shores, recycled and disposed of on these seabeds in a scientific manner. As a result, more than 78 percent of marine dirt and more than 83 percent of marine plastic hazard was reduced. The BEAMS program saved over 11000 KL of water through recycling and reuse and resulted in a cumulative over 85 percent population of these beaches.