ZIRO, 10 Jun: In a move towards making Ziro valley green and plastic-free, Lower Subansiri Deputy Commissioner Vivek HP handed over free-of-cost cloth bags to members of the Bazaar Welfare Committees of both Hapoli and Old Ziro markets on Tuesday.
The DC encouraged SHGs associated with the ArSRLM, and the Bazaar Welfare Committees, to make the ‘Plastic-free Ziro’ initiative a model for rest of the districts of the state. He further urged the members of women’s SHGs to be more progressive and “think out-of-the-box ideas.” He suggested to them to make other useful cloth items also, such as file covers, table cloths, window and door curtains,etc, using local Apatani designs.
Members of SHGs and Bazaar Welfare Committees assured the outgoing DC that they would continue the ‘Plastic-free Ziro’ initiative on a mission mode to fulfil his dream of eliminating single-use plastics in the district.
‘Plastic-free Ziro’ is one of the initiatives of the DC, in collaboration with the Power Grid under its CSR,aimed at eliminating single-use plastics in the district. As part of this effort, a cloth bag manufacturing unit has been set up in an unused government school hostel, and SHGs have been onboarded for stitching cloth bags.
The manufacturing unit not only tackles plastic pollution but also provides employment and opportunity for economic empowerment. These cloth bags feature Apatani tribal motifs and messages such as ‘Clean and Green Ziro’, ‘Plastic-free Ziro’, etc, to raise awareness and instil a sense of pride in the community.
Further, as an incentive to discourage the use of single-use plastic bags, these cloth bags are being distributed free of cost during the initial period to customers through the Market Welfare Committees.
Among others, ADC Himani Meena, CO Mige Bage, officials of the ArSRLM, and members of SHGs and Bazaar Welfare Committees attended the programme. (DIPRO)
