12 October 2020.
Introduction:
Eight beaches in India have been awarded the prestigious ‘Blue Flag’ certification, the Union Environment Ministry said on Sunday. The beaches which have been awarded the certification are spread across five states and two Union Territories. Terming it a “proud moment” for the country, Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar said the certification is a global recognition of India’s conservation and sustainable development efforts.
Highlights:
- The Blue Flag certification is a globally recognised eco-label accorded by “Foundation for Environment Education, Denmark”.
- It is based on 33 stringent criteria under four major heads –
- environmental education and information,
- bathing water quality,
- environmental management
- conservation, and safety and services at the beaches.
- Blue Flag certification has been awarded to eight beaches by an international jury comprising of eminent members of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO), Denmark-based NGO Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE) and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
- India has also been awarded the third prize by the jury under the
- “International Best Practices” for pollution control in coastal regions.
- The government had on September 18 recommended these eight beaches for the coveted international eco-label.
- “India is also the first country in Asia-Pacific region which has achieved this feat in just about 2 years’ time.
- Japan, South Korea and the UAE are the only other Asian nations who have been conferred with a couple of Blue Flag beaches, but in a time frame of about 6 years
The 8 ‘Blue Flag’ beaches are:
- Shivrajpur in Gujarat
- Ghoghla in Diu
- Kasarkod, in Karnataka
- Padubidri in Karnataka
- Kappad in Kerala
- Rushikonda in Andhra Pradesh
- Golden in Odisha
- Radhanagar in Andaman and Nicobar Islands
.