1. Every year we have been taking the drive – ‘Diwali Celebration for Environmental cause’. We undertook awareness and education campaigns on environment protection; conservation of biodiversity, soil & water and tried our best to convince the people to celebrate eco-friendly Deepawali and avoid pollution.
2. As a part of our modus operandi, through one-on-one interactions, we motivate people to celebrate eco-friendly Diwali and educate them about the harmful effects of crackers.
3. Reminding people that Diwali is a great festival of joy and light, if not celebrated responsibly, it causes pollution and generates significant waste affecting the environment and harming our ecosystems; by making impactful and emotional appeals, and taking drives, we do our best for environment protection during Diwali every year.
4. We put appeals in certain housing societies, visit schools, put banners outside the schools, and through some other means including social media, we request to say NO to crackers and fireworks. Celebrate a Clean, Eco-friendly, Pollution-free and Harmonious Diwali.
5. During Diwali-2024, we undertook drives for awareness and education programs for environment protection. We included certain innovative strategies. While convincing the people to adopt the celebration of eco-friendly Diwali, we visited many shops of crackers to not only observe the type of crackers being sold but also educate the sellers about the harmful effects of crackers and the importance of environment protection and biodiversity conservation and tree plantations. We took the help of a few volunteers also.
6. Our commitment is driven by the conviction that every citizen has the right to a healthy environment, clean air, and water.
7. By making the people aware of the following provisions of the Constitution of India and the Hon’ble Supreme Court of India's landmark judgments, we tried our best to seek the willing support of the people.
The Constitution of India has several provisions that implicitly and explicitly recognize the right to a healthy environment, clean air, and water. Here are some key articles:
Article 21: Right to Life - This article has been interpreted by the courts to include the right to a healthy environment, clean air, and water.
Article 47: Duty of the State to raise the standard of living - This article states that the State shall regard the raising of the standard of living of its people and the improvement of public health as among its primary duties.
Article 48-A: Protection and improvement of environment and safeguarding of forests and wildlife - This article explicitly states that the State shall endeavour to protect and improve the environment and to safeguard the forests and wildlife of the country.
Article 51-A(g) of the Constitution of India states: Fundamental Duties- "It shall be the duty of every citizen of India to protect and improve the natural environment including forests, lakes, rivers, and wildlife, and to have compassion for living creatures." This provision, which was added to the Constitution through the 42nd Amendment Act in 1976, explicitly recognizes the fundamental duty of every citizen to protect and preserve the environment.
We highlighted the Hon’ble Supreme Court of India's landmark in the case of _M K Ranjitsinh & Ors versus Union of India & Ors_ wherein the Apex court has interpreted Article 21 of the Constitution of India to include the right to a healthy environment, clean air, and water. This landmark judgment recognizes that the right to life under Article 21 must be interpreted progressively to include the right to a clean and healthy environment, which is essential for the enjoyment of other fundamental rights. The Apex Court emphasized that the right to a clean environment and the right to be free from the adverse effects of climate change are intertwined with various other rights of citizens The Apex Court recognized for the first time a right to a healthy environment and a right to be free from adverse effects of climate change, derived from Articles 21 and 14 of the Constitution.
Additionally, the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981, is a legislation enacted under the Constitution's Article 253, which deals with environmental protection.
