Steps Taken to Generate Awareness on Clean Environment Including Plastic Waste Management

New Delhi (The Hawk): 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

1. National Dashboard on for monitoring of comprehensive action plan implementation,
2. Centralized online Portal for Extended Producer Responsibility implementation,
3. CPCB Monitoring Module for Compliance on Elimination of Single Use Plastic, and
4. CPCB Grievance Redressal App.

This information was given by the Minister of State for Environment, Forest & Climate Change, Shri Ashwini Kumar Choubey in a written reply in Lok Sabha today.