Chief Electoral Officer, Nagaland, V. Shashank Shekhar, IAS, has, on Wednesday, urged all political parties and candidates to avoid using single-use plastic and non-biodegradable material in their election campaign activities.

The statement from the CEO office said that the Election Commission of India has been pushing for eco-friendly elections and that on 26 February 2019, the commission instructed that all parties should take adequate steps and measures not to use single-use plastic as campaign materials (posters, banners, etc) during the elections in the interest of human health and environment.

The CEO also said that the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change had circulated Plastic Waste Management Amendment Rules, 2021 to all CEOs asking them to bring it to the notice of all stakeholders including candidates and political parties regarding the conduct of green elections.

Further, the statement said that National Green Tribunal (NGT) has asked all concerned for close monitoring of Election Commission of India instructions in this regard.

The CEO also stated that Ban on Single-use Plastic is already in place in Nagaland with a view to eradicate the menace of plastic and serious environmental and ecological challenges posed by rampant use of plastics.

In this regard, the CEO said, District Task Forces has been constituted in all the districts to monitor and function as squads for vigilance purpose.