Eight beaches of India, spread across five states and two union territories, have been awarded the “BLUE FLAG” by an International Jury comprising of eminent members viz:
UNEP (United Nations Environment Programme); UNWTO (the United Nations World Tourism Organisation); FEE (Denmark-based NGO Foundation for Environmental Education); IUCN (the International Union for Conservation of Nature).
A Blue Flag beach is considered as one of the best beaches in the world in terms of cleanliness, safety, sustainability, etc.
Eight beaches that get International Blue Flag Certification are:
- Shivrajpur in Dwarka-Gujarat
- Ghoghla in Diu
- Kasarkod in Karnataka
- Padubidri in Karnataka
- Kappad in Kerala
- Rushikonda in Andhra Pradesh
- Golden in Puri-Odisha
- Radhanagar Andaman and Nicobar Islands
India is now in the league of 50 “BLUE FLAG” countries.
India has also been awarded a 3rd Prize by the International Jury under the “International Best Practices” for pollution control in coastal regions.
Union Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change Shri Prakash Javadekar said in a tweet, “It is an outstanding feat considering that no BLUE FLAG nation has ever been awarded for 8 beaches in a single attempt“.
He also said “this is also a global recognition of India’s conservation and sustainable development efforts”.