Thiruvananthapuram: As part of the ‘Garbage-free Kerala’ initiative (Malinya Muktaha Nava Keralam) of the state government, from now on, an oath shall be taken by the participants vowing to make the state garbage-free at the start of all the official programs of the government. The proposed oath has been approved by the cabinet.

The English translation of the pledge roughly goes like this:

“In my full capacity, I realise that by throwing away garbage and other unusable stuff haphazardly, I will end up polluting the villages, cities, and the water bodies in the state. I realise it's a grave offence. I hereby vow not to indulge in such cultureless and illegal activities. I am fully aware of the consequences of such undue practices. Hence I won’t throw away any small or big unusable stuff just like that. I pledge to refrain from using banned plastic as well. I totally stand by all the measures adopted to ensure cleanliness. I will work sincerely towards the goal of building a ‘Garbage-free’ state.”