Thiruvananthapuram | All official programmes in Kerala will soon begin with a pledge to make the state garbage-free, thanks to a government initiative.

The unique initiative is part of the Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan government's ambitious garbage-free campaign launched recently.

The decision was taken during a cabinet meeting chaired by Pinarayi Vijayan, a CMO statement said on Thursday.

The pledge would begin with the statement that it is a crime to pollute the surroundings and waterbodies by throwing away garbage and other waste materials, it said.

The pledge also urged people not to use banned plastic materials and cooperate with all initiatives being taken by the government for sanitation, the CMO statement added.