- British broadcaster hails Clean Punjab as role model in UK as Birmingham volunteers seek guidance from Punjab experts
LAHORE: Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif’s flagship ‘Suthra (Clean) Punjab’ programme has gained significant international recognition, as the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) has joined leading global platforms such as COP-30, Forbes and Bloomberg in highlighting the initiative as a successful and replicable model of modern waste management, officials said on Saturday.
After COP-30, Forbes and Bloomberg, BBC has also recognized Chief Minister Punjab Maryam Nawaz Sharif’s ‘Suthra’ (Clean) Punjab programme, reporting that the ‘Clean Punjab’ model has emerged as a role model in the United Kingdom. The report noted that the cleanliness model of Clean Punjab has reached Birmingham, where, for the first time in history, a volunteer group from a British city sought guidance from Punjab on waste management practices.
The BBC highlighted that the ‘Clean Punjab’ model has proven effective in addressing the long-standing problem of piling garbage and frequent sanitation workers’ strikes in Birmingham. It said that the digital partnership between Punjab’s waste management experts and Birmingham-based volunteers has challenged many conventional assumptions, as Punjab’s waste management plan has become an example worthy of emulation for institutions around the world.
Quoting UK local volunteers, the BBC reported that after learning from Punjab’s experience, they realized that despite living in the West, there had been shortcomings in civic responsibility. The report added that UK volunteers consulted ‘Suthra’ Punjab experts online, while their first interaction took place during the COP-30 climate conference held in Brazil.
The BBC further said that details of the ‘Suthra (Clean) Punjab’ programme were presented at the Pakistan Pavilion at COP-30, while the Chief Executive Officer of the Lahore Waste Management Company briefed volunteers from Birmingham during an online meeting. He shared Punjab’s waste management model and practical solutions to local sanitation challenges.
The report also recalled that Punjab’s modern waste management system has already earned global acclaim, as Bloomberg declared its ‘Waste to Value Project’ a major initiative, noting that it contributes Rs300 billion annually to Punjab’s economy through environment-friendly activities.
CM congratulates Independent Group on victory in PBC elections
Meanwhile, Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif congratulated Federal Law Minister Azam Nazir Tarar and the Independent Group on their victory in the Pakistan Bar Council elections. She also extended her best wishes to the newly elected office-bearers of the Pakistan Bar Council.
