Dhanbad, Dec. 12: India celebrates December 16 as Vijay Diwas to mark its victory in the 1971 Indo-Pak War. A Jharia man wants to give the day a new meaning by waging a war on plastic - and winning.
Meet Anil Jain, a 43-year-old entrepreneur and environment crusader who runs a nonprofit called Aanchal Foundation to stop littering among other things.
"I chose Vijay Diwas for our campaign because we want to win our battle against plastic," he said.
Jain started his crusade on October 6, when he began inviting schools and colleges to organise rallies and debates on December 16.
"Over 20 schools from Jharia, Sindri, Katras and Dhanbad will take out rallies in their respective areas on Friday. Besides, BSK College, Maithon, and Katras College, including marketplaces and offices,<> to spread awareness about the harmful effects of plastic and inform people about his December 16 plan.
"We have requested people to distribute paper or jute bags. Individuals can distribute at least five bags, shopkeepers 10 and bigger organisations such as BCCL, ECL and SAIL 100 each. Several social organisations like Jain Milan and Marwari Yuva Manch have assured me of help too," he said.
According to Jain, the Federation of Dhanbad Zilla Chamber of Commerce and Industries has also directed its members not to use plastic bags on Friday.
Aanchal Foundation is named after Jain's elder daughter who died of septicemia in 2010 at the age of 12. "I felt she would have lived had our town been cleaner," he said. Hence, his relentless crusade.
The campaign will culminate on Sunday with a seminar on the ill effects of plastic use to be organised at Matkuria Gaushala.
"We have invited video clips from organisations and individuals regarding their activities on December 16 for screening at the Sunday seminar. Aanchal Foundation will award top three plastic crusaders," said Jain who is also carrying out intensive drives on WhatsApp and Facebook.
He added that they would also submit a memorandum to Dhanbad mayor Chandrashekhar Agrawal, chief minister Raghubar Das and the Prime Minister's office, demanding a ban on the use of plastic of less than 50-micron density.
