IFFI ends in Goa with a message to clean up the beaches

Goa: The International Film Festival of India (IFFI) concluded on Monday with the campaign “Na gandgi karunga, na karne dunga,” which aims to raise awareness of the need to clean up the beaches among locals and visitors.

To instill the values of keeping the surroundings clean, the Divyaj and Bhamla Foundation in collaboration with the Goa government conduct a “Clean-A-Thon” drive at Miramar beach.

It campaign was led by the Chief Minister of Goa, Dr Pramod P Sawant,  Amruta Fadnavis, the founder of Divyaj Foundation, and members of the Goa Cabinet.

Bollywood actors Jackie Shroff, Karan Kundra, and choreographer Remo D’Souza also took part in the Clean-A-Thon.

At the flagging-off event, Dr. Sawant said, “We keep our beaches clean, but this initiative aims to reach out to tourists too. We can keep Goa clean and green only when the tourists, who constitute a very big part of the Goan population, also join in the efforts.

“We are a blue economy, keeping river and ocean water clean is very important to us, hence I request everyone to not pollute the water” he added.

Ms. Fadnavis on the occasion said, “Goa has a culture of keeping its surroundings clean, but it is important to revise the lessons that we know, hence this initiative aims to remind everyone not to litter, so we can have a healthy marine life, and leave a better planet for our children.”

She said that the motto of the campaign is, “Na gandgi karunga, na karne dunga.” This initiative she hoped would make Goa the tourism capital of India.

Various NGOs, Gram Panchayats, and Municipalities which have made remarkable strides in cleanliness initiatives in Goa were also felicitated at the event. This marked the spirit of the initiative, which urged not just the government, but also students, NGOs, and tourists to do their bit to keep Goa clean.

Recently the central government launched the “Swachh Sagar, Surakshit Sagar/Clean Coast Safe Sea “campaign is a 75-day citizen-led campaign for improving ocean health through collective action.

The campaign started on July 5th, 2022, and has 3 strategic underlying goals that target transformation and environmental conservation through behavior change.

The three underlying goals of the campaign are,  Consume Responsibly, Segregate waste at home and  Dispose of Responsibly.