{"id":116594,"date":"2026-04-23T07:56:00","date_gmt":"2026-04-23T02:26:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mavericknews30.com\/?p=116594"},"modified":"2026-04-23T07:56:02","modified_gmt":"2026-04-23T02:26:02","slug":"every-citizen-should-play-the-role-of-vasundhara-rakshak-for-environmental-conservation-minister-pankaja-munde","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mavericknews30.com\/?p=116594","title":{"rendered":"Every Citizen Should Play the Role of \u2018Vasundhara Rakshak\u2019 for Environmental Conservation \u2014 Minister Pankaja Munde"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Launch of \u2018Vasundhara Rakshak Abhiyan\u2019 and \u2018Maha-RPET\u2019 Campaign on the Occasion of Earth Day<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mumbai, April 2026 : Against the backdrop of increasing pollution, changing climate, and rapid urbanisation, every citizen should come forward as a \u2018Vasundhara Rakshak\u2019 (Protector of the Earth) for environmental conservation, appealed State Environment Minister Pankaja Munde. She expressed her resolve that the concept of \u2018Vasundhara Rakshak\u2019 should not remain just an initiative but be transformed into a mass movement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the occasion of World Earth Day, at a function organised by the State Government\u2019s Environment and Climate Change Department, Minister Pankaja Munde inaugurated the \u2018Vasundhara Rakshak Abhiyan 2026\u2019, \u2018Maha-RPET\u2019 campaign, unveiled the website of the State Climate Action Cell, and launched training for the \u2018Emission Trading Scheme\u2019. The logo of the \u2018Vasundhara Rakshak\u2019 campaign was also unveiled, which was designed by Minister Munde herself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On this occasion, Chairman of Maharashtra Pollution Control Board Siddhesh Kadam, Secretary of the department Jayashree Bhoj, senior officials of the Coca-Cola company, representatives of various organisations, and students from different colleges were present.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Linking the concept of \u2018Vasundhara Rakshak\u2019 with motherhood, Minister Pankaja Munde said that Vasundhara is not just the Earth, but our mother. Protecting her is everyone\u2019s responsibility. With development, industrialisation, and globalisation, pollution is also increasing. Therefore, while adopting a path of balanced development, concrete steps must be taken for environmental protection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Through the \u2018Vasundhara Rakshak\u2019 campaign, \u2018Vasundhara Warriors\u2019 will be created across the state like the Mavlas of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. This movement should reach every village and every ward. These protectors will fight against pollution. She appealed that every citizen should contribute through actions such as planting trees, segregating waste, and reducing the use of plastic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She noted that the severity of pollution is not realised unless its impact is directly seen. Observing its effects on people\u2019s health makes the need for change more evident. To help today\u2019s generation understand environmental changes, information and data based on the concept of \u2018Yesterday\u2013Today\u2013Tomorrow\u2019 will be provided. While today\u2019s generation is advanced in technology, awareness about the environment is equally important. It is our responsibility to give the next generation not wealth, but clean air and water.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Regarding the \u2018Maha-RPET\u2019 campaign, Minister Munde emphasised recycling plastic waste and adopting the principles of \u2018Reduce, Reuse, Recycle and Rethink\u2019. Reducing unnecessary packaging, reusing materials, and prioritising recycling are the needs of the time. Collecting plastic bottles and ensuring their recycling by producers is both environmentally friendly and economically beneficial. She noted that Maharashtra is the first state in the country to implement such an initiative.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the \u2018Emission Trading Scheme\u2019 for industrial pollution control, she said that similar to carbon trading, this scheme is important for controlling sulphur dioxide emissions. If industries adopt a cooperative approach to reduce emissions, it will boost environmental protection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018Vasundhara Rakshak\u2019 WhatsApp community will effectively reach youth \u2014 Siddhesh Kadam<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

MPCB Chairman Siddhesh Kadam said that under the leadership of Minister Pankaja Munde, various innovative initiatives are being implemented in the state, and today\u2019s programme marks their beginning. Initiatives like the \u2018Vasundhara Rakshak\u2019 WhatsApp community will help effectively reach environmental messages, especially among youth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Under the \u2018Maha-RPET\u2019 policy, making producers responsible for recycling the plastic they generate is an important step. He said this initiative is unique not only in the country but also globally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He also expressed pride that the country\u2019s first sulphur dioxide \u2018Emission Trading\u2019 scheme is being launched in Maharashtra. Currently, around 100 industries in the state are participating in this platform, and it will be expanded in the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added that data and Artificial Intelligence (AI) will be used for environmental protection going forward. Along with the administration, producers and citizens must recognise their responsibility and take initiative for environmental conservation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In her introductory remarks, Secretary Jayashree Bhoj said that World Earth Day is not just about nature but is directly linked to public health, quality of life, sustainable development, and the future of the next generation. The day provides an opportunity to pause, reflect, and strengthen commitment toward a greener and more responsible future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The \u2018Maha-RPET\u2019 campaign is an important step toward strengthening plastic waste management. Through the \u2018Vasundhara Rakshak\u2019 initiative, efforts are being made to connect students, youth, women, and citizens with a sustainable lifestyle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Referring to this year\u2019s theme, \u2018Our Power, Our Planet\u2019, she said that the true strength of environmental protection lies not only in policies but in the daily decisions of citizens, institutions, and society.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Launch of Vasundhara Rakshak WhatsApp Community<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Under the \u2018Vasundhara Rakshak\u2019 campaign, a WhatsApp community has been created to enable citizens to participate. Through a QR code at the event, Minister Pankaja Munde, MPCB Chairman Siddhesh Kadam, and Secretary Jayashree Bhoj joined the community and registered themselves as \u2018Vasundhara Rakshak\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Minister Munde appealed to all citizens to join the campaign through the link and QR code.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The programme was anchored by Sanjay Bhuskute, while Director of the Climate Change Cell Abhijit Ghorpade delivered the welcome address.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Launch of \u2018Vasundhara Rakshak Abhiyan\u2019 and \u2018Maha-RPET\u2019 Campaign on the Occasion of Earth Day Mumbai, April 2026 : Against the backdrop of increasing pollution, changing climate, and rapid urbanisation, every citizen should come forward as a \u2018Vasundhara Rakshak\u2019 (Protector of the Earth) for environmental conservation, appealed State Environment Minister Pankaja Munde. She expressed her resolve …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":116595,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[142],"tags":[143],"post_format":[],"flags":[],"class_list":["post-116594","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-state","tag-state"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mavericknews30.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/116594","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mavericknews30.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mavericknews30.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mavericknews30.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mavericknews30.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=116594"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/mavericknews30.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/116594\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":116596,"href":"https:\/\/mavericknews30.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/116594\/revisions\/116596"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mavericknews30.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/116595"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mavericknews30.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=116594"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mavericknews30.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=116594"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mavericknews30.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=116594"},{"taxonomy":"post_format","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mavericknews30.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fpost_format&post=116594"},{"taxonomy":"flags","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mavericknews30.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fflags&post=116594"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}