Eight Indian beaches bag 'Blue Flag' certification; PM Modi, Javadekar laud achievement

In a great honour for India, an international jury has awarded coveted "Blue Flag" to eight Indian beaches spread across five states and two union territories. As the news broke, Prime Minister Narendra Modi took to Twitter to laud the great success. He said the achievement showcases the importance India gives to protecting such crucial spots and furthering sustainable development. 

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As per reports, the Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar also lauded the achievement and said that it is a proud moment for India. Javadekar noted that beaches of Shivrajpur (Dwarka-Gujarat), Ghoghla (Diu), Kasarkod and Padubidri (Karnataka), Kappad (Kerala), Rushikonda (Andhra Pradesh), Golden Beach (Odisha) and Radhanagar (Andaman & Nicobar Islands) have bagged awards. He added that it an exemplary achievement for India as no Blue Flag bearing nations have ever been awarded for 8 beaches in just a single attempt. 

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Blue Flag beaches

Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change also said that India has been awarded the Third Prize by the International Jury under the "International Best Practices" for curbing pollution in the coastal regions. 

A press release issued by the Environment Ministry read: "Japan, South Korea and UAE are the only other Asian nations who have been conferred with a couple of Blue Flag beaches, however, in a time frame of about 5 to 6 years! India is now in the league of 50 "BLUE FLAG" countries and we take pride in this honour to our Nation, planning to taking this journey forward to 100 such beaches in the country in the next five years." 

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Earlier in September, the Ministry had announced that for the first time ever, eight Indian beaches have been nominated for the coveted international eco-label. Javadekar, who was present for the announcement via video conference, had said "Clean beaches are a testimony of the environment in coastal areas. The issue of marine litter and oil spilling has caused disturbances to aquatic life and the Government of India is undertaking various efforts for the sustainable development of coastal regions”.

As per reports, the event also had a flag hoisting ceremony at all the eight beaches simultaneously with the #IAMSAVINGMYBECH being the hashtag for the event. While the virtual flag hoisting was done by the ministry, the physical flag hoisting at the beaches was done by the respective MLAs or Representatives of the Beach Management Committees (BMCs).

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Inputs: ANI