World Environment Day: Prakash Javadekar launches 'SelfieWithSapling' campaign, urges people to advocate cause on social media

New Delhi: Calling for active public participation in World Environment Day celebrations on 5 June, Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar on Tuesday launched #SelfieWithSapling campaign, urging people to plant a sapling and click a selfie with it. Javadekar, who took charge as the environment minister on Saturday, said ‘jan bhagidari’ (people’s participation) is integral to tackling environmental issues, and it has to be a people’s movement. [caption id=“attachment_6759001” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Prakash Javadekar launched a #SelfieWithSapling campaign, urging people to plant a sapling and click a selfie with it. Creative Commons[/caption] “June 5 is celebrated as World Environment Day. I am sure people of this country will enthusiastically participate in it. I appeal to the people to plant a sapling, click a picture with it and post it on social media using ‘#SelfieWithSapling’. We need such initiatives as we are creating a carbon sink,” the minister said. “The Modi government believes that environment is not just a government programme but a people’s programme,” he added. World Environment Day 2019 will be hosted by China with a theme of ‘Air Pollution’. Recently, the ministry released a music video for this year’s theme of World Environment Day, “Hawa Aane De”. The video features Bollywood actors like Akshay Kumar and Rajkummar Rao, among others. Renowned singers like Shaan, Shankar Mahadevan and Sunidhi Chauhan lent their voices to the song. In January this year, the Centre launched the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) to reduce air pollution by 2024. According to the environment ministry, the committee formed under the NCAP has met and an action plan has been drawn up for 84 of 102 non-attainment cities (cities that do not meet the national air quality standard) identified under the programme.