Give plastic, take gold: A unique idea makes Jammu and Kashmir village plastic-free

In a far-flung village called Sadiwara in South Kashmir's Anantnag District, the village panchayat head started a unique initiative for saving the environment. He started a campaign by the name 'Give Plastic and Take Gold' where people of the village are asked to collect plastic waste and get a gold coin from the panchayat head.

Farooq Ahmad Ganai, alawyer by profession and sarpanch (head) of the village Sadiwara, has become an inspiration for everyone in the Kashmir Valley.In order to get a coin, a person needs to hand over 200 kgof plastic waste.

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The campaign became popular and just two weeks after its launch,the whole village was declared plastic-free.

"I started a slogan in my village, give polythene and get a reward. I took the initiative to clean the rivers and streams. Everyone in the village helped us to clear the sites. And finally on January 7, the deputy commissioner announced the area to be plastic-free. The gold that we are giving is from the plastic we are collecting. We will soon be a green village. I will not stop at my village but also take it to all districts of the Union Territory and later from Kashmir to Kanyakumari," said Farooq Ahmad Ganai.

Ganai's initiative stands out from those started by the government.

The whole village took part in the drive and now it is the first village to be called plastic-free in the Kashmir Valley. The youth of the area have joined forces with the sarpanch in cleaning the village and setting an example for the rest of the Valley and country.

“The Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan inspired by Mahatma Gandhi and launched in 2014 by PM Narendra Modi, was our starting point. The sarpanch is a brilliant leader and makes sure to take us all on board to carry forward such initiatives. We took two weeks to make our village plastic-free. We will take it forward to other districts," said Shakeel Wani, youth leader and activist.

The streams flowing through the village have been now cleaned and plastic that choked these streams been taken out. The water is finally crystal clear after years. Women also participated in the initiativeand helped in cleaning the roads, streams and fields as well.

“We have been working with the Sarpanch for four months now, and he is hardworking. He made sure our village was clean and he did it. You can see it with your eyes. He comes from a good background but despite that you can see him cleaning the drains in the area. It’s his hard work that is making sure our village is clean. We will give plastic and get gold. It has worked wonders in the area," said Sakeena Begum, Anganwadi worker.

The village that had heaps of plastic thrown on the roads before is now completely clean and all the plastic that is collected is handed over to the panchayat members. This village is setting an example for other villages and the government is also trying to replicate the same idea in every village of the Union Territory.

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