On Occasion of the World Oceans Day (June 8), Union Minister for Environment, Forest & Climate Change Prakash Javadekar launched an 2-month Awareness Campaign on Single-Use Plastic (SUP) & India Plastic Challenge – Hackathon 2021. In 2019, Government of India had set a target of phasing-out SUP in India by 2022.
- The 2-month long awareness programme will consist of 4 on-line regional events and a social media campaign for spreading the message of mitigation of plastic pollution.
- Littered Plastic waste has adverse impact on both terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. The awareness campaign will focus on plastic waste management and elimination of identified SUP items and aims to bring behavioural change in the people.
- United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) & GIZ India (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH) will be the knowledge partners, while Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) will be the Industry partner for the awareness campaign.
Participants – Jochen Flasbarth, State Secretary, Federal Ministry of Environment, Germany; Dr Dechen Tsering, Regional Director, Asia and the Pacific, UNEP; Dilip Chenoy, Secretary General, FICCI and others.
India Plastic Challenge – Hackathon 2021
The Hackathon was announced for tackling plastic waste pollution and elimination of single use plastic.
i.Objective – To develop innovative solutions to mitigate plastic pollution and develop alternatives to single use plastic.
ii.Who can Participate – Start-ups/Entrepreneurs and students of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) are eligible to participate in the Hackathon.
iii.The Minister also announced a Pan-India Essay Writing competition for school students across India to spread awareness about plastic pollution.
Initiatives taken by India to control Plastic Pollution
i.India has already banned the import of plastic waste in India.
ii.In 2016, MoEFCC was notified of the Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016 for handling plastic waste in an environmentally sound manner.
- As per the rules, carrying plastic bags below 50 microns were banned.
- In March 2021 the Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016 were amended to prohibit 12 identified single use plastic items such as disposable plastic cutlery.
About GIZ
GIZ Stands for The Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit GmbH
Chair of Management Board – Tanja Gönner
Headquarters – Bonn and Eschborn, Germany
About Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI)
President – Uday Shankar
Headquarters – New Delhi
