NITI Aayog has stated that in order to expedite the Transition of India from a Linear Economy to a Circular Economy, Government has formed 11 Committees for 11 focus areas.
- The committees will be led by the concerned Line ministry and will comprise officials from MoEFCC (Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change) & NITI Aayog, domain experts, academics and industry representatives.
- The committees will prepare action plans for Transition to Circular Economy in respective focus areas.
Reason for Transition to Circular Economy:
- It will bring in substantial annual benefits, along with significant reduction in congestion and pollution, which would consequently have a snowball effect on the economy.
- It will maximize our resource efficiency, minimize the consumption of finite resources as well as the impetus to the emergence of new business models and entrepreneurial ventures will spur our transition towards self-reliance.
Circular Economy
- It is a model of production & consumption which involves sharing, leasing, reusing, repairing, refurbishing & recycling existing materials and products as long as possible.
- It intends to change the Linear Economy Model of ‘Take-Make-Dispose’.
Focus Area | Concerned Line Ministry |
|---|---|
| Municipal Solid Waste and Liquid Waste | Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) |
| Scrap Metal (Ferrous and Non-Ferrous) | Ministry of Steel |
| Electronic Waste | Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) |
| Lithium Ion (Li-ion) Batteries | NITI Aayog |
| Solar Panels | Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) |
| Gypsum | Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) |
| Toxic and Hazardous Industrial Waste | Department of Chemicals and Petrochemicals |
| Used Oil Waste | Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas (MoPNG) |
| Agriculture Waste | Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare (MoA&FW) |
| Tyre and Rubber Recycling | Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade |
| End-of-life Vehicles (ELVs) | Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) |
Government of India’s Initiative:
The Government has been actively formulating policies and promoting projects to drive the country towards a circular economy by notifying various policies like Plastic Waste Management Rules, e-Waste Management Rules, Construction and Demolition Waste Management Rules, Metals Recycling Policy, etc..
Recent Related News:
i.On February 19, 2021, the valedictory session of India-Australia Circular Economy (I-ACE) Hackathon, 2021 was held where Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi and his Australian counterpart Scott Morrison have felicitated the participants of I-ACE at a virtual award ceremony.
About Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC):
Union Minister – Prakash Javadekar (Rajya Sabha MP representing Maharashtra)
Minister of State – Babul Supriyo (Lok Sabha MP, Constituency – Asansol, West Bengal)
