To combat pollution, Delhi govt launches 'Paryavaran Mitra'

New Delhi: Environment minister Gopal Rai launched the 'Paryavaran Mitra' programme at the Delhi Secretariat on Thursday to connect with Delhi's citizens who are willing to work for environmental protection.

Through the programme, the government will create a network of people who can work for environmental sustainability in their areas, he said.

People's cooperation is necessary for implementation of the government's plan and policies to deal with pollution-related problems. This programme is an opportunity for lakhs of citizens of Delhi to partner with the government in the fight against pollution, Rai said at a press conference.

Rai said: "The Delhi government has been successful in running numerous campaigns to reduce pollution within Delhi. Citizens of Delhi can become allies and partners in the 'war against pollution' campaign, and for this, the government has launched the 'Paryarvaran Mitra' campaign. The main objective here is to create a network of people in Delhi who have the awareness, knowledge, commitment, and the know-how of challenges of environmental sustainability in their own areas."

Rai further added: "Any citizen of Delhi can start the process of becoming a 'Paryavaran Mitra' by giving a missed call on 8448441758, which is a toll-free number. After giving a missed call, a registration form has to be filled up, containing 3-4 questions on WhatsApp. The department will then contact us for further procedure."

'Paryavaran Mitras' will cooperate with the government in three main activities - increasing greenery, reducing pollution, and improving waste management.

Rai explained how the Delhi government is constantly taking steps in order to improve pollution levels in the Capital by bringing in the summer action plan along with its winter counterpart, which was introduced last year. He said: "The government is working on 14 issues under the "Summer Action Plan," primarily on the anti-open burning campaign, urban farming, roadside greenery, park and city forest expansion, the creation of lakes, an e-waste eco-park, a plantation, and alternatives to single-use plastic, among other things." He also mentioned the increase in forest cover in the city as a result of the policies introduced by his government and claimed: "Delhi has become number one in the whole country in terms of per capita forest cover of cities."