Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday urged women to shun plastic bags to protect the environment and instead carry cloth bags, which are long- lasting, for shopping.
Shah said the Centre was also considering some strong steps to stop the production of 'single-use' plastic.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently urged people to shun single-use plastic to save the environment.
He also exhorted citizens to observe the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi this year as a day to make India plastic-free and asked municipalities, NGOs and the corporate sector to come up with ways for safe disposal of accumulated plastic waste before Diwali.
Shah said the prime minister has taken a resolve of Swachh Bharat (clean India), but plastic is the "biggest hindrance" in realising that vision.
"That is why our PM, in his Independence Day speech, urged the citizens to take up a movement against plastic from October 2 (Mahatma Gandhi's birth anniversary)," Shah said addressing a gathering here during a tree plantation drive.
"I urge all the women to stop the use of plastic bags while going out for shopping. Instead, they can carry a cloth bag, which would last for 10 years. Though you would look somewhat old fashioned carrying such cloth bags, it would help in saving our earth from plastic pollution," he said.
Shah congratulated the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation for planting over 10 lakh trees under its 'Mission Million Trees' in the city during the ongoing monsoon season.
Earlier, he along with Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani participated in a tree plantation drive here.
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