New Delhi: In the first Independence Day speech of his second term, Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged farmers of the country to reduce the usage of chemical fertilizers and products.

"Let us try to protect our mother earth by reducing the use of chemical fertilizers and products. I want to demand something from my farmers today. I cannot let my mother earth be degraded. I want to appeal to all my farmers to reduce the use of chemical fertilisers by 30-40%. Just by doing this you will be doing a service to Mother Earth," he said.

As environmental threats continue to rise, this is probably for the first time Modi has urged farmers to do away with chemical fertilizers that have severe toxic effects despite enhancing crop productivity.

Apart from urging people to shun chemical fertilizers, Modi also called for making India plastic free. He urging citizens to encourage each othe to eliminate use of single-use-plastic.

Modi said shopkeepers should boycott usage of plastic bags. "Stores put up so many boards, put one more saying do not expect plastic from us. Start gifting cloth bags to reduce the use of plastic," he says.