DW BUREAU / Chandigarh Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Saturday emphasised on the need to develop synergy among all state departments to achieve the desired goals for a safer and cleaner environment, an official statement said. He was speaking during the virtual launch of the revamped 'Mission Tandarust Punjab' to kickstart a slew of development projects worth Rs 115 crore to capitalise on the success of the first phase of the mission, it said. Under the second phase, 10 sub-missions spearheaded by separate departments of the state will be introduced including safe food, clean water, green Punjab, road safety, nutrition, waste management, 'Khedo' Punjab, healthy soil, clean air and preventive health, the statement said. In his address on the World Environment Day, the chief minister hoped that the initiative would lead to better coordination among all stakeholders -- the state government, research institutions, industries, NGOs and the general public to ensure a sustainable and environment friendly model of development. Recalling the first Sikh Guru Sri Nanak Dev Ji's ideology of "pavan guru, pani pita, mata dharat mahat" (air is the guru, water the father, and earth the mother), the chief minister underlined the intrinsic bond between nature and mankind. Singh said the philosophy must be followed in letter and spirit to ensure that the future generations do not suffer from deadly diseases due to environmental pollution as is evident from the prevailing several eye and lung ailments. He appealed to the people to preserve nature and natural resources, to make Punjab's environment pollution-free and in line with Guru Nanak Dev's philosophy, by making optimal use of ground water, diversifying into less water-intensive crops, not burning paddy straw and checking use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides. "All of us owe a sacred duty towards society to go for plantation of trees in a big way for our future generations", said Singh. The chief minister also lauded the efforts of 'Mission Tandarust' to check the unhealthy practice of adulteration of milk and dairy products and said it was his duty to provide quality and safe food/dairy products to the people to ensure their good health and hygiene. Expressing concern over the pollution in rivers, Singh said concerted efforts of environmentalists like Sant Baba Balbir Singh Seechewal and Head of the Namdhari Sect Baba Uday Singh has led to considerable improvement in the quality of water in river 'Kali Bein' and 'Buddha Nala', which flow into the Satluj river. The chief minister digitally laid the foundation stone of Waryana Dump Site Remediation Project in Jalandhar city at a cost of Rs 35 crore and a sewerage treatment plant in Fazilka (Rs. 14.68 crore), Ajnala and Goraya (Rs. 6.25 crore each) and Garhdiwala (Rs. 3.14 crore). (editor@dailyworld.in)