Eight beaches across five states and two union territories of India have been awarded the “Blue Flag” certification. The announcement was made by Union Minister of Environment, Forests and Climate Change Prakash Javadekar.
These beaches are Shivrajpur (Dwarka, Gujarat), Ghoghla (Diu), Kasarkod and Padubidri (Karnataka), Kappad (Kerala), Rushikonda (Andhra Pradesh), Golden (Puri, Odisha) and Radhanagar (Andaman & Nicobar Islands).
Blue Flag is a certification that can be obtained by a beach, marina, or sustainable boating tourism operator, and serves as an eco-label.
The official website states – “In order to qualify for the Blue Flag, a series of stringent environmental, educational, safety, and accessibility criteria (about 33 of them) must be met and maintained.”
The certification was awarded to these beaches by an international jury comprising the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), UN World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO), and Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE).
