Narendra Modi gets UNEP Champions of the Earth award: Caring for ecosystem part of India's culture, says prime minister

Prime Minister Narendra Modi received the UNEP Champions of the Earth award for taking ahead India’s commitment to preserve the environment and successfully implement the Swachh Bharat scheme. Receiving the award, the prime minister started out by thanking the United Nations Secretary General António Guterres for being present in India for the occasion.

“It is a great honour that this award is being given in India itself… It is an honour for all Indians. Indians are committed to save the environment,” Modi said. “This award is a result of India’s 1.25 billion strong population,” he added. [caption id=“attachment_5308121” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Prime Minister Narendra Modi receives Champions of The Earth award. DD News[/caption] Presenting the award, Guterres said, “Many leaders understand climate change but Prime Minister Narendra Modi acts on it. The example of prime minister’s leadership is not being followed enough.” Guterres said that Modi has recognised the challenges of climate change and he understands the need of climate action. In his acceptance speech, Modi said that the Indian commitment towards preservation of environment was far deep rooted than a policy decision. Citing examples from various aspects of an Indian household, Modi said that reuse and recycle are principles that Indian women have been successfully implementing in their homes.

The prime minister said that India was a country where the tribals love forests and trees more than their lives, whereas where fishermen are careful to draw only that much which is sufficient for their survival. Modi said that caring for the ecosystem is part of India’s culture and philosophy. He said: “Until care for the environment is not rooted in one’s culture, it is difficult to escape a calamity.” He said: “We cannot tackle climate change without climate justice.” He said that millions of Indians are striving and beating extreme poverty. “But this is not because we aspire to beat anyone at a challenge, or that we aspire to cmpete. We make such policies because we believe that improving quality of life for these people is everyone’s responsibility,” Modi said. Referring to his political slogan of Sabka Sath Sabka Vikas, the prime minister said that the moto carries much greater meaning. He said that apart from all of India’s citizens, in spite of their diversity, he also includes nature in it. He said that by extension, the slogan also means that each and every citizen is also a responsible participant in the growth journey. He said that India’s focus has remained on “ease of living”, which in turn reasserts our commitment to the protection of environment. Modi also spoke about the Soil Health Card scheme, adding that the suggestion for organic farming is helping India purge harmful chemicals from the soil and retreat back to a more sustainable way of agriculture.