Prasar Bharati takes on Reuters for fake news on plastic ban

India's public service broadcaster Prasar Bharati on Wednesday called out foreign media for spreading fake news about the Centre's initiative against Single Use Plastic. On Tuesday, a report from Reuters said that India had 'held off' imposing a blanket ban on Single Use Plastic as it was not able to cope with the economic slowdown and job losses. The report said that the Modi-government had planned to outlaw six items on the occasion of 150th birth anniversary of Gandhi Jayanti. PM Narendra Modi has been campaigning for No Single Use Plastic ban in which involved doing away from such items at a personal level.

Prasar Bharati takes on Reuters for 'fake news' on 'plastic ban' during Gandhi Jayanti

Hitting out at the news agency, Prasar Bharati called its report fake news. It said that the Centre had never planned to impose a blanket ban on plastic. Censuring Reuters, the public broadcaster said that the report was reflective of 'polemical approach' of the foreign media which intended to 'stoke controversies (and) spread negativity'. It added that such important was injustice towards 130 crore Indians' tribute to Gandhi on the Mahatma's 150th birth anniversary by doing away with Single Use Plastic. 

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Tweets by Prasar Bharati against Reuters report on 'plastic ban'

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PM Modi's announcement on 'No Single Use Plastic'

PM Narendra Modi during his rally from the Red Fort on August 15 on the occasion of Independence Day had urged the citizens to completely stop using single use plastic. "Can we free India from single-use plastic? The time for implementing such an idea has come. May teams be mobilised to work in this direction. Let a significant step be made on October 2," he said.

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PM Modi's No Single Use Plastic initiative gets global attention

PM Modi's initiative to ban single-use plastic in India was also praised by the UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres during his visit to US for the UNGA in New York. The government's move was also looked at as an initial effort that goes beyond mere talks of climate change. PM Modi also spoke about the initiative in his UNGA address, "Mr. Secretary, while entering the United Nations building today, I read on a wall, 'no more single-use plastic'. I feel extremely delighted in informing this gathering here, that today while I am addressing you, we are working tirelessly in India to make the country single-use plastic-free."

READ | PM Modi at UNGA: Working tirelessly to end use of single-use plastics