Steps for awareness on clean environment including Plastic Waste Management and elimination of Single Use Plastics
Management of Plastic Waste in environmentally
sound manner will help in reduction of plastic pollution
Union
Government through various central ministries and government agencies has been
involved in generating public awareness on clean environment including plastic
waste management and elimination of single-use plastics. The Central Government
has allocated central share funds under Swachh Bharat Mission Urban (2014-2021)
and Swachh Bharat Mission Urban 2.0 (2021 - 2026) for creation of awareness and
public participation to States/UTs. Some of the public awareness
campaigns run by Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change are given
below:
·
A three-phase campaign
“Swachhta Hi Sewa” and beach cleaning drive was taken up across 50 beaches in
2019
“Awareness Campaign on Single Use
Plastic – 2021” was organized.
A pan India essay writing
competition on the theme elimination of single use plastics for spreading
awareness amongst school students.
To encourage innovation in
development of alternatives to identified single use plastic items and digital
solutions to plastic waste management, the India Plastic Challenge – Hackathon
2021, for students of higher education institutions and startups was organized.
A series of awareness programme
to avoid the use of single-use plastics across the country, as part of Iconic
Week celebrations from 4th to 10th October, 2021, under AzadiKaAmritMahotsav.
Prakriti – Mascot was launched on
5th April 2022. Three videos of PRAKRITI on ban on single use plastics have
been made and translated in 19 languages. These have been shared with states
and UTs for further dissemination.
A dedicated webpage with all
awareness material has been created for making available all information
materials and videos for wider dissemination and use by stakeholders.
An E-Pledge on Swachh Bharat
Harit Bharat Green Pledge has been launched on MyGov Platform for generating
public movement amongst citizens on 5th April 2022.
Considering the adverse effect of
littered single use plastic items on terrestrial, aquatic and marine
ecosystems, the Ministry has notified the Plastic Waste Management
Amendment Rules, 2021, on 12th August 2021, prohibiting identified single use
plastic items, which have low utility and high littering potential, with effect
from 1st July 2022. The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change
has also notified the Guidelines on the Extended Producer Responsibility for
plastic packaging vide Plastic Waste Management Amendment Rules, 2022, on 16th February, 2022.
All thirty six States/UTs have constituted the Special
Task Force under Chairpersonship of Chief Secretary/Administrator for
elimination of single use plastics and effective implementation of Plastic
Waste Management Rules, 2016. A National Level Taskforce has also been
constituted by the Ministry in this regard. Twenty one State /UT Governments
and thirteen concerned Central Ministries/Departments have developed
comprehensive action plan for elimination of single use plastics and effective
implementation of Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016. The Government of India
provides additional central assistance to the States/UTs under the Swachh
Bharat Mission for solid waste management including plastic waste management.
Management of plastic waste in environmentally sound manner will help in
reduction of plastic pollution.
The following online platforms were launched on 5th April
2022 for effective monitoring of ban on identified single use plastic items and
plastic waste management in the country
- National
Dashboard on for monitoring of comprehensive action plan implementation,
- Centralized
online Portal for Extended Producer Responsibility implementation,
- CPCB
Monitoring Module for Compliance on Elimination of Single Use Plastic, and
- CPCB
Grievance Redressal App.
This information was
given by the Minister of State for Environment, Forest & Climate Change, Ashwini
Kumar Choubey in a written reply in Lok Sabha today.