Earth Day: Offer 'reverence and gratitude' to planet, says PM Modi

New Delhi: As the world marks the Earth Day to make the human race realise the importance of the Mother Earth, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday urged the nation to offer 'reverence and gratitude' to mother earth, which has given mankind everything it needs for survival.

The Prime Minister took to micro-blogging site Twitter to convey his message.

See his tweet below:

On #EarthDay, reverence and gratitude to our planet that has given us everything. pic.twitter.com/qgVWPlfAPS

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) April 22, 2016

Meanwhile, as many as 170 countries, including India, will officially sign the Paris Agreement on climate change today.The signing makes this year's Earth Day one of the most important in years

At a high-level ceremony convened by United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in New York, Minister of State for Environment, Forests and Climate Change Prakash Javadekar will sign the agreement.

The agreement was adopted by more than 190 countries in the French capital in December last year.

India had advocated a strong and durable climate agreement based on the principles and provisions of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. nt.

The ceremony today will set a record for international diplomacy as never before have so many countries inked an agreement on the first day of the signing period.

Earth Day is being celebrated as an annual event on April 22 since 1970 to demonstrate support for environmental protection. The event is now coordinated globally by the Earth Day Network and celebrated in more than 193 countries each year.

(With ANI inputs)