CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami, in his efforts to stop the use of throwaway plastic in the state from 1 January 2019, launched a mobile portal and a web portal www.plasticpollutionfreetn.org on 23rd August. He also released a short film to encourage the use of eco-friendly bags.
He launched the plastic-free Tamil Nadu campaign and appointed actors Vivek, Surya, Jyothika, Karthi as the brand ambassadors of this campaign.
Locally the campaign will be launched by the ministers and district collectors. CM announced the ban on one-time use and throwaway plastic from January 2019 in the assembly. Three regional coordinators in the rank of IAS officers are appointed by the government for implementing the ban in the regions Chennai, Coimbatore, Madurai, Trichy, Tirunelveli, and Salem.
He said that “The use of one-time use and throwaway plastic poses problems and people should avoid using it. We can lead a healthy life with alternative products to plastics. The government considered the health hazards and the problems involving plastics before taking this action (ban).” He requested the traders and people for full cooperation. Five lakh plastic manufacturers were granted subsidiary-cum- loan of Rs 21.35 lakh to shift to eco-friendly metal plates.