8 beaches of India have been awarded the “BLUE FLAG” by an International Jury comprising of eminent members viz UNEP, UNWTO, FEE, IUCN.
India began its journey in 2018 for development of pilot beaches (one each in Coastal States/Union Territories) and presented the first set of 8 beaches for the certification for the ensuing tourist season 2020.
It is a delighted moment for India as 8 beaches of India have been awarded the “BLUE FLAG” by an International Jury comprising of eminent members viz UNEP, UNWTO, FEE, IUCN.
The beaches that have been awarded the ‘BLUE FLAG” are Shivrajpur (Dwarka-Gujarat), Ghoghla (Diu), Kasarkod and Padubidri (Karnataka), Kappad (Kerala), Rushikonda (AP), Golden (Puri-Odisha) and Radhanagar (A&N Islands).
The nation has also been awarded a 3rd Prize by the International Jury under the “International Best Practices” for pollution control in coastal regions.
“It is an outstanding feat considering that no ‘BLUE FLAG’ nation has ever been awarded for 8 beaches in a single attempt,” Union Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change Prakash Javadekar said in a tweet on 11th October message adding “this is also a global recognition of India’s conservation and sustainable development efforts”.
“India is also the First Country in “Asia-Pacific” region which has achieved this feat in just about 2 years’ time,” the minister stated in another tweet.
Japan, South Korea and UAE are the only other Asian nations who have been conferred with a couple of Blue Flag beaches, however, in a time frame of about 5 to 6 years!
India is now in the league of 50 “BLUE FLAG” nations.
