THE LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR, DELHI

• LG urges Priests and Pujaris to follow eco-friendly procedures for religious, cultural and spiritual functions; asks them to inspire and encourage people to actively participate in cleaning of Yamuna. 
• Special training program organized for Pujaris for  prevention of pollution in Yamuna.
• Any attempt at rejuvenation of river Yamuna will have to essentially involve the people of Delhi – LG
• Training given to Pujaris on use of eco-friendly material in packaging of Prasad, discouraging dumping of garbage or plastic in the river and use of biodegradable material in making idols.   
• Pujaris can play an important role in raising awareness with local communities, other stakeholders and government agencies.

With a view to prevent the ever-increasing pollution in Yamuna, a training program for Pujaris was organized at the Conventional Center in Yamuna today. The Lt. Governor, Shri V.K. Saxena was present as the Chief Guest in this program and addressed the participants urging them to play the role of educators and change-makers. The training program follows LG’s announcement to do the same following incidents of religious waste being disposed into the Yamuna after the Ram Navami festivities.     

The LG said that Pujaris and Purohits play an important role as custodians and guides of various spiritual and cultural practices that often culminate in generation of waste which is disposed in the Yamuna. Such disposal causes pollution of Yamuna. In this context, they have a crucial role to play in preventing Yamuna pollution and protecting the sanctity of the river. Keeping this in mind, Pujaris from all over the city had been invited for this training programme, he said.  The LG insisted that any attempt at rejuvenation of river Yamuna will have to essentially involve the people of Delhi, who are the biggest stakeholders in the exercise. 

In this training programme, the Pujaris were explained about specific best practices that can help prevent pollution in Yamuna.  These included, promoting the use of eco-friendly materials in religious offerings, discouraging the dumping of waste or plastic in the river, and educating people about waste management practices in temples and ashrams located on the banks of the river. Pujaris were requested to play their part in raising awareness, promoting eco-friendly sustainable practices with local communities and other stakeholders and asked to work in tandem with government agencies.

The Pujaris were asked to sensitize people about best practices aimed at preventing pollution and encourage them to follow these.  They were told that people and religious institutions should strictly prohibit throwing any kind of waste, including flowers, food, plastic, or other non-biodegradable items, into the river. The Pujaris should inform people about waste management that the waste should be collected properly and disposed in designated bins or taken away from the river bank for proper disposal.

Apart from this, the Pujaris were told that people should be encouraged to promote the use of environment-friendly materials. Religious rituals should be conducted using eco-friendly materials such as natural flowers, leaves and organic materials instead of plastic or other non-biodegradable materials. This would help reduce the amount of waste and prevent pollution. Apart from this, the Pujaris should ensure that there are sufficient number of dustbins available on the banks of the river and these are regularly emptied.

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