Circular economy gets fillip as PM launches SHS 19

by | Sep 11, 2019 | Circular Economy, Sustainability

Swachhata Hi Seva 2019 lays special focus on plastic waste awareness, and recycling and effective disposal of the collected plastic waste.
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi today launched Swachhata Hi Seva (SHS) 2019, a massive countrywide awareness and mobilization campaign on Swachhata in Mathura. SHS 2019, with special focus on ‘plastic waste awareness and management’ is being organized from 11 September to 2 October 2019, as the Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) is poised to dedicate an ODF India to Mahatma Gandhi on his 150th birth anniversary. The launch of SHS was organized jointly by the central Departments of Animal Husbandry and Dairying and Drinking Water and Sanitation and the Government of Uttar Pradesh.

The Prime Minister also visited the Pashudhan Arogya Vigyan Mela, where he saw cows being operated upon to remove plastic waste from their stomachs. He then interacted with a group of women from Uttar Pradesh who segregate plastic waste into recyclables and non-recyclables, and in a unique gesture, also participated in the segregation activity himself.

Plastic recycling is an important part of global recycling economy, which is currently valued at $317 billion and employees millions of people. Recycled PET can be used to make many new products, including fiber for polyester carpet; fabric for T-shirts, long underwear, athletic shoes, luggage, upholstery and sweaters; fiberfill for sleeping bags and winter coats; industrial strapping, sheet and film; automotive parts, such as luggage racks, headliners, fuse boxes, bumpers, grilles and door panels.

Addressing an audience of about 20,000 farmers, sarpanches, women groups and swachhagrahis, the Prime Minister urged all citizens to free their houses, offices and work space from single use plastic. Drawing people’s attention to the hazardous effects of such plastic for the environment, and for the health of animals and aquatic life, he reiterated his appeal to use cloth or jute bags while going out for shopping and to use metal or earthen glasses for serving water in offices. He asked people to collect all the plastic waste from their surroundings at an identified place and to ensure its safe disposal with the support of the local administration during the Swachhata Hi Seva.

Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Yogi Adityanath applauded the positive impacts of the SBM and highlighted the contribution of SBM in dealing with the menace of deadly disease Encephalitis in eastern UP. He added that the significant increase in the sanitation coverage under SBM will now be leveraged for achieving the goal of plastic waste free India on the lines of ODF India.

Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Union Minister of Jal Shakti said that the entire world is eagerly waiting for the day when India becomes ODF. He said that the SHS 2019 campaign would give a big boost to generate mass awareness on plastic waste and its subsequent collection, recycling and disposal, and will be a new Jan Andolan for protecting environment under the inspiring leadership of the Prime Minister.

This year’s Swachhata Hi Seva will see mass awareness generation activities on plastic waste management from 11 September to 1 October; nationwide Shramdaan for plastic waste collection and segregation on 2 October; and recycling and effective disposal of the collected plastic waste from 3 October to 27 October 2019 (Diwali). The Prime Minister has also written personal letters to all Sarpanches and Swachhagrahis, motivating them make the Swachhata Hi Seva 2019 a grand success. These letters were read out today at special Gram Sabhas across the country.

The aim is to equip masses with the knowledge to distinguish between recyclable v/s non-recyclable plastics. The govt. plans to eliminate the use of non-recyclable plastics such as poly bags, straws/stirrers, thermocol decoration, plastic cups etc. and promote the collection and recycling of PET bottles (water/oil/juice/cola bottles), HDPE containers (shampoo/conditioner bottles) to generate revenue and lakhs of jobs for our nation.

The logo of this year’s ‘Swachhata Hi Seva’ mission depicts a plastic bottle and a human hand inside of a recycling sign, denoting shraamdan for plastic recycling to promote circular economy to generate revenue and lakhs of jobs for our nation. The plastic PET bottle is included in the logo since it is the most recycled type of plastic globally.

“The government aims to tackle the plastic pollution issue by weeding out its roots. Technically, all plastics are recyclable but not everything that’s ‘recyclable’ actually gets recycled. The journey of recycling starts with consumers responsibly segregating and disposing various materials like paper, wood, plastic, metals, debris, glass etc. The next step is to have an effective collection & waste management system in place to send plastic waste to the recycling units. In the absence of a robust waste collection and disposal mechanism, a lot of waste is ending up in landfills and water bodies. The need of the hour is to replace the existing linear economic models with circular economic models to eliminate waste by increasing reusability and ensuring recycling of highly recyclable plastic waste such as small and big plastic bottles. Our country has an army of 40lakh ragpickers, which can be mobilized to make our country a Plastic Waste Free India,” Commented Vinod Shukla, President – Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay Smriti Manch, a national NGO working for the upliftment of ragpickers. He is the nephew of Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay.

The plan is to collect PET bottles through nationwide shraamdan since it is the highest recycled plastic type in India. As per the report released by the National Chemical Laboratory (NCL) – CSIR, the current recycling rate of PET bottles is 80% in India, more than the USA, Japan, Europe, and China. Another 10% get reused in Indian households. This includes PET bottles, containers, and jars with a capacity of 150 ml to 20 liters.

“Plastic, which has been named as one of greatest invention of 21st century, is being defamed as the curse to humanity, since it is a new material compare to metals, glass, which we are using since centuries. The awareness about the use and end-of-life treatment of plastic waste is not well understood amongst key stakeholders hence it is being littered irresponsibly and became a global environmental challenge. But every great challenge comes with a unique growth opportunity and same is the case for plastics, especially for highly recycled plastic types such as PET. The Indian PET bottles recycling generate 3,500 crore annually. The need is to open avenues to ensure the collection and repurposing/recycling/upcycling of highly recycled plastics such as water/juice/cola/oil bottles,” said Sachin Sharma, Director, Gem Enviro Management, which is one of the largest plastic recyclers in India.

Union Minister of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Giriraj Singh, Minister of State, Jal Shakti, Rattan Lal Kataria, other ministers from the State and local MP and MLAs also participated in the event.

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Govt mulls waterways for the Northeast region

Govt mulls waterways for the Northeast region

(Representative image)

The Ministry of Shipping is keen to start inland waterways navigation and passenger transportation in the rivers in the North Eastern states of the country. Mansukh Mandaviya, Minister of State (Independent Charge) of Shipping and MoS, C&F has said that the public sector company Water and Power Consultancy Services Limited (WAPCOS) is preparing a model detailed project report (DPR) for implementing projects for running low-cost ferry services in the inland waterways in these states. This model DPR can be adopted for quick implementation by the Inland Waterways Authority of India in consultation with the different state governments in the region.

As per a PIB release, Mandaviya also said that inland waterways transport can be a game changer for the North Eastern states as land routes here are often long, circuitous and time consuming due to the difficult terrain. Besides bringing ease of movement, the waterways projects will also help generate employment locally, he said.

It is noteworthy that after the passing of the 2016 National Waterways Act, India has made significant progress in developing new waterways. When it comes to the Northeast, waterway navigation could help cut distances as well as the carbon footprint in the region by several notches and hence may be seen as a positive for the environment. Given the intent to focus on low-cost ferry services, the impact on river ecology may also be designed to be minimum.

PM lays stress on balancing development and environment as tiger count nears 3,000

PM lays stress on balancing development and environment as tiger count nears 3,000

royal bengal tiger

A Royal Bengal tiger in Kanha National Park, Madhya Pradesh, India. (Source: Wikipedia)

On the occasion of Global Tiger Day today, Prime Minister Narendra Modi released the results of the fourth cycle of All India Tiger Estimation – 2018, at Lok Kalyan Marg in New Delhi. The count of tigers in India, has risen to 2,967, in 2018, according to this survey.

Speaking on the occasion, the Prime Minister described this as a historic achievement for India, and reaffirmed India’s commitment towards protecting the tiger. The Prime Minister appreciated the speed and dedication with which various stakeholders worked to achieve this. He described it as one of the finest examples of Sankalp Se Siddhi. Once the people of India decide to do something, there is no force that can prevent them from getting the desired results, he declared.

The Prime Minister said that with almost 3000 tigers, India is today among the biggest and most secure habitats.

Prime Minister asserted that the way ahead is “collectiveness” instead of “selectiveness.” He said that a broad-based and holistic look is essential for environmental conservation. He said, it is possible to strike a healthy balance between development and environment. “In our policies, in our economics, we have to change the conversation about conservation,” he added.

India will build more homes for our citizens and that the same time create quality habitats for animals. India will have a vibrant marine economy and a healthier marine ecology. This balance is what will contribute to a strong and inclusive India, the Prime Minister asserted.

He expressed confidence that India will prosper both economically and environmentally; India will build more roads and India will have cleaner rivers; India will have better train connectivity and also greater tree coverage.

He said that in the last five years, while work has proceeded at a fast pace for next-generation infrastructure, the forest cover in the country has also grown. There has also been an increase in the “protected areas.” In 2014, there were 692 protected areas, which increased to more than 860 in 2019. The “Community Reserves” have also grown from 43, in 2014, to more than 100 now.

The Union Minister for Environment, Forests and Climate Change, Prakash Javdekar; the Union Minister of State for Environment, Forests and Climate Change, Babul Supriyo; and the Secretary, Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change, C.K. Mishra, were present on the occasion.

News Source: Press Information Bureau 

Pix Source: Wikipedia (see attribution)

Mega capacity building program launched for sustainable rural water supply and sanitation

Mega capacity building program launched for sustainable rural water supply and sanitation

water supply

The program aims to improve rural water supply and sanitation. (Representative image.)

The Union Minister of Jal Shakti, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, launched the capacity strengthening initiative of the Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation (DDWS), Ministry of Jal Shakti, in Ranchi, Jharkhand on 27 July. He was joined at the event by the Minister of State for the Ministry of Jal Shakti, Rattan Lal Kataria, Chief Minister of Jharkhand, Raghubar Das, and Minister of the Drinking Water and Sanitation,Government of Jharkhand, Ramchandra Sahis. This initiative will create a pool of 2,800 field trainers in its initial trainings, who will reach out to around 2.5 lakh Gram Panchayats across the country.

The initiative seeks to ensure the sustainability of open defecation free (ODF) villages created under the Swachh Bharat Mission in the long term and enable field trainers and members of Panchayat Raj Institutions (PRIs)  to create capacity to manage solid and liquid wastes as well as improve access to safe and adequate drinking water supply.

Addressing more than 6,000 Mukhiyas (i.e., panchayat heads), Jal Sahiyas, Swachhagrahis and others present on the occasion, Shekhawat emphasized the need for people’s participation highlighting that it is now time to turn the “jal ka andolan” into “jan ka andolan”to avert the impending water crisis. He appreciated the role of people who has committed themselves towards the cause of the Swachh Bharat Mission. Because of their efforts, in ODF and sanitized villages lakhs of lives have been saved, he added. He urged the people to re-energize their efforts for enabling sustained safe sanitation practices and expanding their efforts towards the provision of piped water supply to every household.

The Minister of State, Ministry of Jal Shakti, Rattan Lal Kataria also appreciated the role played by the various stakeholders in making Jharkhand State ODF and reiterated that the country is on track to achieve an ODF India by 2nd October 2019, on the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.

Addressing the gathering, Secretary, DDWS, Parameswaran Iyer shared the details of the capacity building training program. He shared that by January 2020, four Field Trainers (FTs) from each district will be trained through five-day Training of Trainers (ToTs) organized by the DDWS. The FTs would then train Sarpanchs, village secretaries and Swachhagrahis in their districts through a 3-day field training supported by the states and the districts, completing the entire exercise by March 2020.

During the event, a booklet and a film on the Jharkhand State Government’s Menstrual Hygiene Management Campaign – ‘Chuppi Todo-Swasth Raho’ Abhiyan were released while grassroots functionaries shared their experiences of being a part of the Swachh Bharat Mission (Grameen). This was followed by an award ceremony recognizing the outstanding contributions in the field of sanitation.

GST on all EVs and charging slashed to 5%

GST on all EVs and charging slashed to 5%

electric vehicle charging

GST rate on charger or charging stations for EVs is cut from 18% to 5%. (Representative Image)

The 36th GST Council Meeting held in New Delhi via video conferencing under the chairmanship of Union Finance & Corporate Affairs Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, took the most awaited decision on electric vehicles. The meeting was also attended by Union Minister of State for Finance & Corporate Affairs Anurag Thakur besides Revenue Secretary Ajay Bhushan Pandey and other senior officials of the Ministry of Finance. The Council has recommended the following:

  • GST rate related changes on supply of goods and services
  • The GST rate on all electric vehicles be reduced from 12% to 5%.
  • The GST rate on charger or charging stations for Electric vehicles be reduced from 18% to 5%.
  • Hiring of electric buses (of carrying capacity of more than 12 passengers) by local authorities be exempted from GST.

These changes shall become effective from 1 August, 2019.

Govt using satellite imagery for assessing crops

Govt using satellite imagery for assessing crops

assessing crop data

Representative image.

Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) envisages use of improved technology to reduce time gap for settlement of claims of farmers. Accordingly, the Department of Agriculture, Cooperation and Farmers Welfare, through Mahalanobis National Crop Forecast Centre (MNCFC), involved 8 agencies/ organizations to carry out pilot studies for Optimization of Crop Cutting Experiments (CCEs) in various States under PMFBY. The studies used various technologies, including Satellite data, Artificial Intelligence, Modeling tools etc. for reducing the number of CCEs required for insurance unit level for yield estimation. The studies were taken up to address a major issue of the need to carry out large number of CCEs for calculation of yield data vis-à-vis claims at Gram Panchayat level. The results are being evaluated for providing recommendations for their implementation in the upcoming seasons.

Further, an Expression of Interest (EOI) was floated with a view to migrate to technology based assessment of yield with minimum use of CCEs for Kharif 2019 season. 46 agencies participated in the EOI, out of which 26 agencies have been shortlisted on technical assessment.

The Government is also using satellite imagery to assess the crop area, crop condition and crop yield, at district level, under various programmes such as Forecasting Agricultural Output Using Space, Agrometeorology & Land based observations and Coordinated Horticulture Assessment and Management using Geo-informatics. Further, satellite data is also being used for drought assessment, to assess the potential area for growing pulses and horticultural crops.

With a view to ensure better transparency, accountability, timely payment of claims to the farmers and to make the scheme more farmer friendly, the Government of India has comprehensively revised the Operational Guidelines of the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) which have become effective from Rabi 2018-19 season. Provision of 12% interest rate per annum to be paid by the Insurance Company to farmers for delay in settlement claims beyond 10 days of prescribed cut-off date for payment of claims. As the settlement of claims for Rabi 2018-19 season is underway, the admissible penal interest is not yet worked out.

This information was given in a written reply by the Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Narendra Singh Tomar in Rajya Sabha.

Uber ties up with SUN Mobility for EV push

Uber ties up with SUN Mobility for EV push

electric vehicle charging

Representative Image

Mobility service provider Uber has entered into a partnership with SUN Mobility, aimed at reducing the overall cost burden for Uber driver-partners.
SUN Mobility will offer its unique energy infrastructure platform, which includes swappable smart batteries and quick interchange stations to select original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) for building e-autos.
Fleet owners and Uber’s driver partners will benefit by receiving charged, swappable batteries as a service by SUN Mobility, thereby reducing the overall cost of e-autos to bring them in line with CNG, petrol- and diesel-powered ones.
“We are delighted to partner with SUN Mobility, an industry pioneer to try to usher in a wave of electric vehicles in the mass market category,” said Pradeep Parameswaran, President Uber, India and South Asia. “This is an important step forward in fulfilling our vision for creating a mobility ecosystem that is sustainable, provides cleaner air and helps build smarter cities across the region,” he added.
Commenting on the prospects of the partnership, Chetan Maini, Co-Founder and Vice-Chairman of SUN Mobility said, “Our mission is to give users a cost-effective and convenient energy infrastructure solution to accelerate the adoption of EVs (electric vehicles).’’
In line with the government’s vision to phase out internal combustion engine three-wheelers by 2023 and two-wheelers by 2025, the partnership will be piloted in select cities over the coming months. This could help bridge the demand-supply gap and build a more sustainable future for transport in India and beyond, an Uber newsroom release said.

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