Finance
Prime Minister Narendra Modi called attention to the growing problem of e-waste and the effects it can have on biodiversity, saying there is a need to raise awareness about proper gadget disposal.
The Prime Minister stated during the 97th edition of his monthly radio program, ‘Mann Ki Baat,’ that people must be made aware of safe and useful methods of disposing of e-waste, as only 15% to 17% of e-waste is recycled each year.
“Today’s latest devices are also e-waste of the future. When somebody buys a new device or changes an old device, it is important to know whether it is discarded in the right way,” he said in his monthly radio broadcast.
The PM said carefully discarding the e-waste can “not only save the environment but can also give a flip to the economy of recycling and reuse.”
He said that according to a United Nations (UN) report, nearly 50,000,000 tonnes of e-waste is generated every year. “Every second 800 laptops are thrown away. You will be surprised to know that almost 17 types of precious metals can be extracted from waste using different processes, including gold, silver, copper, and nickel,” the PM said.
“Therefore, recycling waste is no less than making gold from waste,” he said, adding there is no dearth of start-ups doing work in this direction.
The Prime Minister also emphasized the importance of wetlands conservation, stating that India has done commendable work in increasing the number of wetlands over the last eight years. He stated that India now has 75 wetlands, up from 26 in 2014.
The Prime Minister commended the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) in Bengaluru for filing numerous patents in its name in 2022. “This institution has 145 patents, which means that two patents are filed every five days. “This is a fantastic record in and of itself,” he said.
Speaking on Global Innovation Index and patents filing, the prime minister said, “For the first time in the last 11 years in India, the number of Domestic Patent Filing has been seen more than Foreign Filing. This also demonstrates the expanding scientific potential of India.”
The PM went on to say that India ranks seventh in patent filing and that the global innovation index has increased by nearly 50% in the last five years.
Speaking about the recently conferred civilian awards, the Padma awards, PM Modi stated that the selection of candidates for the People’s Padma has received widespread acclaim across the country.
According to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a significant number of Padma awardees this year were from tribal communities or people associated with tribal society.
“Tribal life is different from city life and has its own challenges. Despite all this, tribals are always eager to preserve their tradition,” he said.
He said people who have contributed towards bringing youth from Naxalism to the mainstream and enriched the world of music have also been felicitated.
The Prime Minister also referred to a book titled India- The Mother of Democracy, which illustrates how democratic principles were prevalent in ancient India. The book he said has many interesting essays.
“Democracy is in our veins, it is in our culture – it has been an integral part of our work for centuries. By nature, we are a ‘Democratic Society,” he said.
“As the Mother of Democracy, we should constantly think deeply about this topic, discuss it and also inform the world. This will further strengthen the spirit of democracy in the country,” the PM said.
The book was published by the Indian Council of Historical Research (ICHR) and was released by union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan on November 24, 2022. This book explains India’s democratic public behavior from ancient times to the present.
The PM went on to discuss the importance of millets and their benefits. According to him, the UN only decided on the international day of yoga and the international year of millets after India initiated resolutions.
“Both yoga and millets are associated with good health and third and most importantly is that in both cases, people’s participation has brought in a new Revolution,” he said.
He also mentioned about purple fest that was held in Goa from January 6-8 and referred to it as a unique effort towards the welfare of differently-abled people.
“I believe such campaigns will help a lot in helping achieve a vision of accessible India,” he said.
Source:HT
