The Cement Manufacturers Association (CMA) was felicitated at an event organized by the Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation, Government of India, on November 19 in New Delhi.
The award was presented to Mahendra Singhi, President, CMA and Aparna Dutt Sharma, Secretary-General, CMA, by the Ministry of Jal Shakti. Sadananda Gowda, Union Minister, Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilisers; Rattan Lal Kataria, Minister of State, Ministry of Jal Shakti and Social Justice and Empowerment; and, Parameswaran Iyer, Secretary, Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation, Ministry of Jal Shakti were the distinguished guests at the Event.
It may be recalled that Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his Independence Day speech on August 15, 2019, had spoken of the need to reduce single-use plastic in the Country.
Subsequently, the Ministry of Jal Shakti led the Swachhata hi Seva campaign, with the Prime Minister launching it on September 11, 2019.
CMA was identified as a valuable partner for its potential role in the management of non-recyclable single-use plastic waste under the Swachhata hi Seva campaign.
The campaign involved collaboration in two phases, viz, awareness creation in Phase one, and plastic waste disposal in Phase two.
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During the first phase of awareness creation, from September 11 till October 1, 2019, over 3.25 lakh people were directly sensitized about the ill effects of single-use plastic, which encompassed 545 activities conducted across 377 villages in 17 states by the Cement industry.
In addition, CMA proactively reached out to the masses to spread awareness through school visits, radio jingles, Ramlila campaigns and through an international conference CONSERVE 2019, which was well attended by renowned experts, Industry leadership, and policymakers.
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During the second phase of the SHS campaign, CMA effectively facilitated disposal of 7,835 tonnes of plastic waste through its Member Companies in a short duration between October 1 to 25, 2019, which translates to approximately 313 tonnes of plastic disposed of every day across 15 states.
"The Cement Industry is proud to be part of such a noble national initiative of the Government of India. The Swachhta Hi Seva campaign has successfully delivered on its objective," said Mahendra Singhi.
"I applaud the commendable efforts made by CMA and our Member Companies through active collaboration," he added.
"CMA and our Member Companies extended full solidarity to the national campaign seamlessly coordinating with stakeholder Ministries and Municipalities across India," said Aparna Dutt Sharma.
"Our Member Companies were completely in sync with the Campaign objective right from the start, created mass awareness and effectively disposed of almost 7,800 tonnes of plastic waste in just about three weeks," she added.
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