Why in news?

The State-level ‘Suchitwa Sagaram, Sundara Teeram’, an ambitious project aimed at making the sea and coast plastic-free was inaugurated in Kerala.

Highlights:

• Immediate steps will be taken to ensure proper disposal of plastic waste collected from the coast. Plastic waste treatment requires careful collaborative work.
• Activities of Clean Kerala Company and the Haritha Karma Sena will be strengthened for the implementation of the project.
• The government had set aside ₹20 crore for removing debris from waterbodies and increasing the depth of backwaters and rivers. Many projects are being formulated to revive Kerala’s greenery by 2050
• The project was a battle against plastic menace and the Chief Minister would inaugurate an extensive plastic disposal drive on September 18 as part of the second phase of the project.
• An extension of the project started in 2018 at the Neendakara harbour, Suchitwa Sagaram, Sundara Teeram will be implemented in three phases that include awareness raising, waste collection, recycling and follow-up campaign.
• About 15,000 volunteers will take part in the clean-up drive and the project will be extended to 20 more harbours in the third phase.

• Actor Manju Warrier is the brand ambassador of the project.