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Budget 2023 live | Allocation for census slashed

The Union Finance Minister has presented the Union Budget for Financial Year 2023-24, at a time when nine States will be going to polls this year and the Modi government will be seeking a third term next year. ndia has made significant progress in many SDGs: Finance Minister India has made significant progress in many Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the per capita income has increased to ₹1.97 lahks, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said on February 1. She also said the Indian economy has increased in size from being the 10th largest to fifth largest in the world in the last nine years. According to the Center for Science and Environment’s ‘State of India’s Environment Report 2022’, the country’s overall SDG score was 66 out of 100.

Delhi Weather Update: With average minimum temperature at 6.6 degrees Celsius, the city suffered its coldest January in 10 years

The capital experienced its coldest January in the last 10 years, with the average minimum temperature dipping to the lowest since 2013, India Meteorological Department data reveals. The average minimum recorded this month at Safdarjung was 6.6 degrees Celsius, 0.9 degree below the month's normal, and the lowest since 6.1 degrees C was recorded in January 2013. By contrast, the average minimum in January last year was 8.2 degrees C. Track the pollution level in your cityThis January saw eight cold wave days -in two spells, January 5 to 9 and 16 to 18 - the highest in 15 years. For the first time in 17 years, the minimum at Safdarjung fell below 2 degrees C, the threshold for a "severe cold day", on two days. There were 10 days when the minimum was below 5 deg C. Not just colder, this Jan was more polluted than last year This January was not just the coldest in the city in 10 years, it was also more polluted than January last year, with three "severe" air days. Central Pollution Control Board data shows that the average air quality index (AQI) was 311 in January 2023 as against 279 last year, which saw just one "severe" day. Delhi_temperature However, this January was less polluted than 2021 when the average AQI was 324. Experts said unfavourable meteorological conditions such as prolonged dry weather, low temperatures and dense fog affected the air quality this year. Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director, research and advocacy, Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), said, "This January saw extreme cold conditions which led to trapping of pollutants. Unlike last year, Delhi didn't receive rain this time. The AQI is also impacted by the trend of local pollution. The report on source apportionment study which was released on Monday showed that combustion was one of the major sources of pollution." delhi_pollution Explaining the low minimum temperatures during the month, Kuldeep Srivastava, head of IMD's Regional Weather Forecasting Centre, said, "Since western disturbances in the first half mostly impacted the Himalayan region, there were clear skies in Delhi. The wind direction remained mostly north-westerly, which brought cold winds from the mountains towards the region, leading to a series of cold wave days." He added, "After some western disturbances impacted plains in the second half of the month, there was cloudiness and not much dip in minimum temperatures." Safdarjung, the city's base station, also saw one cold day on Sunday when rain lashed the capital. IMD declares a cold wave when the minimum temperature is four or more notches below normal or when it is less than 4 degrees Celsius. The average maximum temperature for January was 19.7 degrees Celsius, 0.4 degrees lower than the month's normal of 20.1 degrees. The city received rain on just one day on January 29, with Safdarjung recording 20.4mm.

Budget 2023: Experts expect a boost to decarbonisation, energy transition

Union Budget 2023 is expected to highlight India's ability to continue expanding its decarbonisation initiative despite concerns about energy security amid the war in Europe and the IMF's recession prediction. Whether it is the recently approved Green Hydrogen Mission, the push towards electric vehicles (EVs), or increasing investments in renewables, experts say India’s energy transition is gathering pace. India is committed to achieving a series of announcements made globally, such as reaching 500 Gw (gigawatt) non-fossil energy capacity by 2030, and 50 per cent of its energy requirements from renewable energy by 2030, among others. The experts expect the Union Budget 2023 to provide sufficient financial backing and strategies for the country’s commitments and ambitions in the following ways: Mainstreaming green growth by generation-based initiatives According to Binit Das, Deputy Programme Manager, Renewable Energy, Centre for Science and Environment, there is limited financing for renewable energy manufacturing in the country which the budget is expected to address. He asserted that the government's push towards mainstreaming green growth needs to be backed by generation-based initiatives including building an ecosystem. Das said, "Last year, solar rooftops saw limited growth due to a lack of impetus in the key green energy tech sector. High-interest rates in India make green power costlier, affecting overall commercial viability and cost parity with fossil fuel power. It is expected that the Budget 2023 will address these issues and enhance mainstreaming of green growth. The need for energy security has never been more urgent." Das said that from a policy standpoint, production-linked incentive (PLI) schemes are available for organisations that manufacture high-efficiency solar PV (Photovoltaic) modules but not for entities operating in wind or green hydrogen/ammonia sector. This is expected to be addressed in the budget. Clarity on taxes and subsidies Experts say India has a handful of organisations in the renewable energy sector. Therefore, the focus should be on robust policy, a stable tax regime, and fiscal incentives to attract investments in this space. Das said, "For developers, there is a lot of burden, which is currently the biggest challenge that the renewable energy sector faces in terms of solar and wind technology." Highlighting the need for tax incentives, Das said the current concessional tax regime of 15 per cent which is available to organisations commencing the generation of electricity or manufacture/production of any article or thing before March 31, 2024 should be extended to encourage organisations to invest in new energy. He emphasised that the Budget 2023 is expected to provide clarity on taxes and subsidies for the renewable energy sector. More funds for PLI Scheme to boost domestic solar manufacturing capacity "The government is giving generation-based incentives which refer to the incentives given to consumers for generating power using solar technology. For example, if you generate a few kilowatts from your rooftop, the Discom will give an incentive of some paise per kilowatt/hour. These incentives are important for encouraging people to adopt solar. The Delhi solar policy talks about this but we need PLIC schemes around solar generation for the nation as well," said Das. Jatinder Pal Singh, Founder of J.P. Consultants works on Solar Plants and Energy Savings highlighted that the budget is expected to announce initiatives for pushing solar in the domestic segment. He said, "PLI schemes currently have an allocation of Rs 19,500 cr for Solar Manufacturing needs to be provided with more funds as the domestic capacity of solar manufacturing needs to be enhanced a lot. With lesser domestic capacity, pricing is very unstable and projects are affected economically." Transmission system for integration of wind power Martand Shardul, Policy Director, Global Wind Energy Council India – GWEC India said, " We are expecting increased allocation and big announcements for the wind energy sector. It is because, earlier this month, the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) notified its decision to organise an annual tender for 8 GW onshore wind projects across 8 windy states every year in this decade." He added that the government has set a target of harnessing 30 GW offshore wind capacity off the coast in Gujarat and Tamil Nadu. Apart from this, in November 2022, the government notified a draft sea-bed lease tender for offshore wind, and in July 2022, the MNRE released a 37 GW offshore wind tender trajectory. PLIs and demand aggregation exercise for green hydrogen Green hydrogen is more expensive than grey hydrogen which is derived from fossil fuels. Yet, it is important to spur green hydrogen generation and demand for it as it is environmentally friendly and a vital for the country's clean energy transition. The recent announcement by the government under the Hydrogen mission is a positive step in this direction and envisages India's ability to attract investments worth approximately $100 billion by 2030. It is expected that Budget 2023 will make some important announcements regarding PLIs and demand aggregation for the green hydrogen ecosystem.

दिल्ली में सर्दी का सितम जारी, पिछले 10 साल का रिकॉर्ड टूटा; जनवरी रहा सबसे ठंडा

दिल्ली में अभी बर्फीली हवाओं का असर रहेगा, जिससे दो से तीन दिन तापमान में कमी की वजह से कड़ाके की ठंड महसूस होगी.तीन फरवरी के बाद धीरे धीरे पार चढ़ेगा.आईएमडी के मुताबिक, 2 फरवरी को पश्चिमी विक्षोभ आने वाला है जिससे हिमालय में बारिश होगी और उत्तर-पश्चिम क्षेत्र में तापमान में कमी आ सकती है. सर्द मौसम अब विदाई लेने को तैयार है, मगर इस बार उत्तर भारत में सर्दी ने अपने कई पुराने रिकॉर्ड ध्वस्त किए. राजधानी दिल्ली की बात करें तो इस बार कई मर्तबा कश्मीर, शिमला से भी नीचे दिल्ली का पारा लुढ़का. दिल्ली ने इस सीजन में कड़ाके की ठंड झेली. भारत मौसम विज्ञान विभाग के आंकड़ों से पता चलता है कि राजधानी में पिछले 10 वर्षों में सबसे ज्यादा ठंडा जनवरी माह रहा. जनवरी में यहां औसत न्यूनतम तापमान 2013 के बाद से सबसे कम रहा. सफदरजंग में इस महीने औसत न्यूनतम तापमान 6.6 डिग्री सेल्सियस दर्ज किया गया, जो कि सामान्य से 0.9 डिग्री कम था. जनवरी 2013 में 6.1 डिग्री सेल्सियस सबसे कम तापमान दर्ज किया गया था. जबकि पिछले साल जनवरी में औसत न्यूनतम तापमान 8.2 डिग्री सेल्सियस था. जनवरी में 10 दिन 5 डिग्री से नीचे रहा पारा इस जनवरी में शीत लहर दो चरणों में 8 दिन रही. शीत लहर 5 से 9 जनवरी और 16 से 18 जनवरी तक देखी गई. जाे कि शीतलहर का पिछले 15 वर्षों में सबसे अधिक समय रहा. जनवरी में ऐसे 10 दिन थे जब न्यूनतम तापमान 5 डिग्री सेल्सियस से कम था. ये 10 दिन पिछले 10 सालों में सबसे सर्द दिन रहे. यही नहीं पिछले साल जनवरी की तुलना में यह 10 दिन राजधानी में सबसे अधिक प्रदूषित भी रहे. केंद्रीय प्रदूषण नियंत्रण बोर्ड के आंकड़ों के मुताबिक, जनवरी 2023 में औसत वायु गुणवत्ता सूचकांक (AQI) पिछले साल 279 के मुकाबले 311 था, जो कि गंभीर श्रेणी में रहा. हालांकि, यह जनवरी 2021 की तुलना में कम प्रदूषित था. इस साल कड़ाके की ठंड के साथ बढ़ा प्रदूषण विशेषज्ञों ने कहा कि प्रतिकूल मौसम संबंधी स्थितियां जैसे लंबे समय तक शुष्क मौसम, कम तापमान और घने कोहरे ने इस साल हवा की गुणवत्ता को प्रभावित किया. सेंटर फॉर साइंस एंड एनवायरनमेंट (सीएसई) की कार्यकारी निदेशक अनुमिता रॉयचौधरी ने कहा, “इस जनवरी में अत्यधिक ठंड की स्थिति देखी गई, जिससे प्रदूषण भी बढ़ा. पिछले साल के मुकाबले इस बार दिल्ली में बारिश नहीं हुई.

India Has Made Significant Progress In Many SDGs: Finance Minister

The efforts of the government since 2014 have ensured better quality of life for citizens of the country, Sitharaman added India has made significant progress in many sustainable development goals (SDGs) and the per capita income has increased to Rs 1.97 lakh, finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman said on Wednesday. She also said that the Indian economy has increased in size from being 10th to fifth largest in the last nine years. The efforts of the government since 2014 have ensured better quality of life for citizens of the country, Sitharaman added. According to the Centre for Science and Environment's State of India's Environment Report, 2022, India's overall Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) score was 66 out of 100. The 2030 agenda for sustainable development was adopted by all United Nations member states in 2015, which provides a shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet. There are 17 sustainable development goals which are an urgent call for action by all countries in a global partnership. Some of these goals are no poverty, zero hunger, good health and wellbeing, quality education, gender equality, clean water and sanitation, affordable and clean energy, decent work and economic growth, industry, innovation and infrastructure. It also includes, reduced inequalities, sustainable cities and communities, responsible consumption and production, climate action, life below water, life on land, peace, justice and strong institutions and lastly strengthening global partnerships for the goal.

India has made significant progress in many sustainable development goals: Finance Minister

India has made significant progress in many sustainable development goals (SDGs) and the per capita income has increased to Rs 1.97 lakh, finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman said on Wednesday. She also said that the Indian economy has increased in size from being 10th to fifth largest in the last nine years. The efforts of the government since 2014 have ensured better quality of life for citizens of the country, Sitharaman added. According to the Centre for Science and Environment's State of India's Environment Report, 2022, India's overall Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) score was 66 out of 100. The 2030 agenda for sustainable development was adopted by all United Nations member states in 2015, which provides a shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet. There are 17 sustainable development goals which are an urgent call for action by all countries in a global partnership.

Budget 2023: India has made significant progress in many Sustainable Development Goals, says FM Nimala Sitharaman

Budget 2023: According to the Centre for Science and Environment's 'State of India's Environment Report 2022', the country's overall SDG score was 66 out of 100, pointed out FM Sitharaman. Budget 2023: India has made significant progress in many Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the per capita income has increased to Rs 1.97 lakh, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said on Wednesday. She also said the Indian economy has increased in size from being the 10th largest to the fifth largest in the world in the last nine years. The efforts of the government since 2014 have ensured better quality of life for citizens of the country, Sitharaman added. According to the Centre for Science and Environment's 'State of India's Environment Report 2022', the country's overall SDG score was 66 out of 100. The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, with its 17 SDGs and other components, was adopted by all United Nations member states in 2015, which provides a shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet.

Biomass burning main culprit, accounts for one-fourth of Delhi’s pollution in last 3 months

NEW DELHI: In the past three months, secondary inorganic aerosols were the highest contributor to Delhi’s air pollution, at 33%, according to findings of the real-time source apportionment study. While the share of biomass burning, i.e., burning of wood, dung and agriculture residue, was 24%, vehicles contributed 17%, cold and fly ash 7%, and soil and road dust and waste and plastic burning 2% each during the period from November 1, 2022 to January 29, 2023. Track the pollution level in your cityThe findings were shared by chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, who inaugurated a supersite and mobile van for the study at Rouse Avenue on Monday. Officials said particles such as sulfate, nitrate and ammonium are formed in the atmosphere from the interaction of various gases. Potential sources include power plants, refineries, brick kilns, vehicles, agriculture, organic waste decomposition and open drains. The data showed the contribution of domestic use was 3% and of others, including tire and brake wear, paints, and plastic processing and melting, was 12%. delhi_pollution “Analysis shows outer-state pollution accounts for one-third of Delhi’s pollution while biomass accounts for one-fourth and vehicles for 17-18%,” said Kejriwal. The project was started by Delhi Pollution Control Committee in collaboration with IIT Kanpur, IIT Delhi and TERI. The study will also forecast hourly air quality for the next three days. “Until now, we have been reliant on studies conducted as a one-off analysis. For instance, a study might have been conducted in June 2014 and over the next one month or more, data must have been collected from various places. Based on this, the policies of the state government have been planned. The issue with such an approach is we plan the policy to curb pollution throughout the year based on the data from June. Pollution data changes daily, which is not factored in,” said Kejriwal. Environment minister Gopal Rai said the mobile van will visit hotspots to find out the causes of pollution. Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director, research and advocacy, Centre for Science and Environment, said the data set has many takeaways for policy action. “Stringent action is needed for all combustion sources and solid fuels must be substituted with cleaner ones for domestic cooking,” she added. Delhi BJP spokesperson Praveen Shankar Kapoor said any step in the fight against pollution is welcome but the experience of the last eight years shows the government is not serious. “When we know pollution peaks in places like Anand Vihar, Old Delhi, Okhla, Delhi government chooses Rouse Avenue, which has comparatively cleaner air, to set up a study centre,” he pointed out.

Cash from trash: Women waste pickers are upcycling their lives

Chanakyapuri, the Delhi enclave of embassies and fancy hotels, is where Sarita* is a waste picker with an ambition. She operates a government-allotted material recycling facility or MRF. It is just a five-minute walk from where she lives, but it seems like a world away from Sarita’s way of life for now. Sarita’s mere presence at the MRF, a plant that separates and prepares recyclable waste in a way that it can be sold again, is like an act of defiance. “The people in my community and the big scrap dealers here have questioned how I got here. They demeaned my character and used sexual slang,” she says. Like most professions, men dominate waste picking. In India, 49% waste pickers are women, but they make 33% less money than men, according to a study by the Chintan Environmental Research and Action Group. There is an undeniable question of safety. Collecting and segregating waste is mostly done in isolated, open spaces. This increases the chances of sexual harassment and assault for women and children. Plus, the health risks from exposure to toxic elements. For Sarita, the MRF is generally a safer place. She manages the facility with her husband, who works it in the evening as it gets dark. Her income has also doubled to Rs 20,000 a month. Procuring land from a municipal body to set up an MRF plant is an uphill task but the Chintan Environmental Research and Action Group is helping out Sarita and other women waste pickers with acquisition. For these women, it’s a big step from helping male partners with segregating waste to running a material recycling facility. “When we met these women and conducted peer group sessions, they realised they were participants in the waste management sector. Till then, most of them hadn’t even met godown owners as their families did not let them interact with men outside their household,” says Shruti Sinha, a lead researcher with Chintan who is studying the lives of women waste pickers. Paradeep, a port city in Odisha, has adopted a more community-driven model focusing on micro-composting centres and MRFs. With the involvement of self-help women’s groups, transgender groups and ragpickers’ associations, it has increased revenue and successfully processes 100% of the waste it generates. Similar experiments by women-centric self-help groups in Indore and Ambikapur have been successful in improving their financial condition. The Nudge Institute in Bengaluru is on a mission to make waste management models more gender inclusive. In 2020, Nudge and eight partner organisations launched the Saamuhika Shakti campaign to ensure that informal waste pickers in the city and their families have greater agency in leading secure and dignified lives. “We take a zoomed-out view and ensure that multiple collaborations and interventions happen among the organisations,” says Akshay Soni, executive director of the Saamuhika Shakti campaign at Nudge. Hasiru Dala (meaning ‘Green Force’ in Kannada), a local social impact organisation, is a key part of the campaign. It aids waste pickers in gaining access to government schemes, trains them in financial planning and conducts health camps. About 70-80% of stakeholders that Hasiru Dala works with are women. It also provides them counselling on domestic violence and substance abuse. Another area of focus is on skilling the workers so that they can explore alternative livelihoods. Social Alpha, an incubation partner that supports social impact start-ups, aids the hiring of women waste pickers by companies. Several women have been hired by Phool, which focuses on collection of flowers and other waste from temples and processing them into products like incense sticks and essential oils. Some women are exploring ways for additional income, such as beautician training and stitching. For women, small changes can bring transformation, says Rashi Rathi, gender lead at The Nudge Institute. “A lot of women waste pickers told us that they are not as mobile as men and need to travel back home to do caregiving work,” she said. So, the partners provided them with cycles, which now enables them to travel greater distances from home. For large-scale transformation, clarity in policy is crucial, says Mou Sengupta, deputy programme manager at the Centre for Science and Environment. “The Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016, instructed state municipalities to design policies for the inclusion of women and facilitate the formation of SHGs.” However, implementation remains a challenge. “Only 20-25% have put this mandate in their by-laws. Hardly 5-10% have actually implemented it,” she adds.

Travel time has gone up, say commuters

Kolkata: Bus operators are wary of making fresh investments, as the returns are too low. “I bought a BS-IV bus in 2017 at Rs 11 lakh. If I want to buy a BS-VI bus now, it will cost Rs 19 lakh. There is no certainty of even recovering costs,” said Titu Saha, general secretary, City Suburban Bus Services. The last time bus fares were officially revised was in 2018, when diesel price was Rs 68.60 per litre. Diesel now costs Rs 92.76 per litre, but fares are the same. Over 2021 and 2022, as many as 1,313 buses were phased out for crossing the 15-year age limit. This year and 2024, as many as 2,729 buses will meet the same fate. “With no replacement, the situation is getting worse,” said Tapan Banerjee, general secretary, Joint Council of Bus Syndicates. Transport minister Snehasis Chakraborty said the government, especially CM Mamata Banerjee, was averse to passing on the fuel hike burden on to citizens. “State transport undertakings (STU) are increasing the number of buses quite rapidly. Shortly, nearly 1,200 e-buses will ease the trouble faced by commuters,” he added. STUs have also reduced the number of buses on the road by a significant number. Non-availability of alternative, cheaper fuel through a robust supply chain has also made the bus trade unattractive. CNG is still being brought in caskets, limiting its availability to a few stations, Saha said. The end sufferers are commuters. “We are now spending nearly three-four times what we used to in early 2020,” said Aniket Banerjee, founder of Kolkata Bus-o-pedia, an online resource about bus-related information. “Travel time has gone up significantly,” he added. “After 9pm, it is impossible to find a bus,” said Amardeep Singh, who works at a medicine shop. Transport expert Anumita Roychowdhury, who’s the executive director of Centre for Science and Environment, said Kolkata was fast losing its status of a “public transport city”. “The city will face the same fate as of Bengaluru, where a sea of cars gets city traffic choked. Kolkata is adding around 86.6 thousand vehicles every year.”

Kejriwal unveils study, devices to help combat air pollution in Delhi

Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday unveiled a critical scientific study and a comprehensive set up commissioned by the state government to identify various sources of air pollution in the city as well as record their contribution in real time. Described by the chief minister as an “important leap” in the state’s fight against pollution, the study will help the government plan short-term and long-term measures to combat bad air. Kejriwal inaugurated the “Supersite” -- a scientific data gathering and analysis set up -- as well as an air quality monitoring van at the Sarvodaya Bal Vidyalaya in central Delhi’s Rouse Avenue. The site and the van will help carry out a real-time source apportionment study on air pollution, providing details of the contribution of each different sources, scientists involved in the study said. They added that there will also be a forecasting system giving pollution load for the next three days. “Now we will be able to determine pollution sources on an hourly basis and forecast hourly air quality data for the next three days. With this, we will find how much of the pollution is caused by vehicles, industries and biomass burning and make anti-pollution strategies accordingly,” Kejriwal said. The study is centred on gathering data on emissions leading to PM2.5 pollution. Particulate Matter 2.5 (PM 2.5) are ultra fine particles that can embed deep in human lungs and cause a variety of lung and heart diseases. PM2.5 is the primary pollutant in Delhi’s air, according to Central Pollution Control Board. Explaining the importance of gathering data in real-time, Kejriwal said, “The key reason for pollution on Monday may differ from the reason on Tuesday. Until we calculate the impact made by a source of pollution in real-time, we cannot have an effective policy. Therefore, we have asked these bodies (agencies who will carry out the study) to help us carry out real-time source apportionment. Besides this, it will also provide us with a forecast of what the major factors of pollution in the coming days could be,” he added. The study is being led by the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur, with IIT Delhi and The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) both involved in providing insights and technical assistance. The Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) is the nodal body for the project. Prior to this, Delhi had experimented with the concept thrice. The first source apportionment study was conducted by IIT-Kanpur in 2016-17, and then by The Energy Resources Institute (TERI) in 2017-18. The state government then asked the Washington University in 2019 to carry out the study. However, it was scrapped in 2020, with the government saying the study was “unsatisfactory”. The programme was revived again, with the Delhi Cabinet approving the study in October 2021. A memorandum of understanding (MoU) was subsequently signed with the three technical bodies. Kejriwal cited how steps to tackle pollution were based on years-old studies and said, “Those have no relevance. The real-time apportionment study has shown that the sources of pollution change on an hourly basis,” he said. The AAP government has taken several steps to reduce pollution in the national capital, the chief minister said. “We introduced the Electric Vehicle Policy in 2020 and electric vehicle sales are the highest in Delhi. We have procured several new buses and, by 2025, 80% of Delhi’s bus fleet will be electric. We have a tree transplantation policy and Delhi’s tree cover has risen to 23.6% higher than the national average of 20%,” he said. Besides the Supersite, the van and the forecasting system, the chief minister also launched the r-aasman portal where the general public can access the real-time data. The dashboard can be accessed at http://raasman.com/dashboard/realtime_source. Delhi environment minister Gopal Rai, who attended the inauguration, said the government will work on NCR-centric pollution action plans using data gathered through the mobile van and the Supersite. “We will move ahead based on the advice and guidance of the scientists of IIT Kanpur and IIT Delhi and the data they gather. We will discuss the data with the governments of NCR and plan to control pollution accordingly,” Rai said. Experts said the study will help the government plan long-term solutions to combat pollution. “Such a real-time source apportionment study, if executed accurately, can allow long-term strategies to be tailored around it. Based on the data gathered, action on the ground, including localised plans can also be made,” said Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director, research and advocacy at the Centre for Science and Environment. Delhi BJP spokesperson Praveen Shankar Kapoor said that any step in the fight against pollution is a “welcome step”, but the experience of the last eight years shows that the Delhi government is not in fighting air pollution.

Covid-finance knockout combo cripples Kolkata's private bus sector

KOLKATA: Fewer than half the number of buses sanctioned for Kolkata are presently on road, making daily commute not only more expensive, but also more time-consuming for the average Kolkatan, especially during the morning and evening peak hours. Kolkata private bus GFX Two factors, taken together, have made the business unviable for bus operators, said experts and operators alike: the first is stricter pollution control norms, which necessitates replacing more-than-15-year-old public transport vehicles with more expensive BS-VI buses; the second is an absence of a fare hike, in spite of steep, multiple revisions in fuel price. Of 5,583 buses sanctioned on Kolkata's 303 routes, only 2,757 (or 49%, less than half) are plying, with several routes left without a single bus. "Kolkata is a bus city the same way Mumbai is a train city," said transport economist Aniruddha Kar, adding, "The city's public mobility is bound to get crippled if everything's not alright with the bus system." Kolkata's key public transport suffered its worst blow during the pandemic, and the ensuing restrictions. And even as life swung back to normalcy, 50% of the city's bus fleet failed to come back. Things have come to such a pass that there was only one bus registered with the Public Vehicles Department (PVD) in 2022. Private bus operators have lost the confidence to make fresh investments, as the retu-rns are too little. Travel time has gone up, say commuters Bus operators are wary of making fresh investments, as the returns are too low. “I bought a BS-IV bus in 2017 at Rs 11 lakh. If I want to buy a BS-VI bus now, it will cost Rs 19 lakh. There is no certainty of even recovering costs,” said Titu Saha, general secretary, City Suburban Bus Services. The last time bus fares were officially revised was in 2018, when diesel price was Rs 68. 60 per litre. Diesel now costs Rs 92. 76 per litre, but fares are the same. Over 2021 and 2022, as many as 1,313 buses were phased out for crossing the 15-year age limit. This year and2024, as many as 2,729 buses will meet the same fate. “With no replacement, the situation is getting worse,” said Tapan Banerjee, general secretary, Joint Council of Bus Syndicates. Transport minister Snehasis Chakraborty said the government, especially CM Mamata Banerjee, was averse to passing on the fuel hike burden on to citizens. “State transport undertakings (STU) are increasing the number of buses quite rapidly. Shortly, nearly 1,200 e-buses will ease the trouble faced by commuters,” he added. STUs have also reduced the number of buses on the road by a significant number. Non-availability of alternative, cheaper fuel through a robust supply chain has also made the bus trade unattractive. CNG is still being brought in caskets, limiting its availability to a few stations, Saha said. The end sufferers are commuters. “We are now spending nearly threefour times what we used to in early 2020,” said Aniket Banerjee, founder of Kolkata Bus-o-pedia, an online resource about bus-related information. “Travel time has gone up significantly,” he added. “After 9pm, it is impossible to find a bus,” said Amardeep Singh, who works at a medicine shop. Transport expert Anumita Roychowdhury, who’s the executive director of Centre for Science and Environment, said Kolkata was fast losing its status of a “public transport city”. “The city will face the same fate as of Bengaluru, where a sea of cars gets city traffic choked. Kolkata is adding around 86. 6 thousand vehicles every year. ”

Indian industry turns to biomass as capital bans coal in pollution fight

A TOXIC smog engulfs India’s capital every winter, as particles from bonfires of crop stubble and vehicle exhausts hang in the air, but New Delhi is enforcing a ban on coal burning from this month that is forcing industry to shift to biomass. The drive has pushed about half the 1,695 units in a cluster of small industries around one of the world’s most polluted capitals to use biomass, regulators told Reuters, up from fewer than 15 per cent counted in a 2020 study. “You can tell the fuel being used by the colour of the steam and the smell in the air,” said a manager at a small unit in the global cloth recycling hub of Panipat, about 100 km from New Delhi, who spoke on condition of anonymity. “The air has improved since we shifted to biomass.” The change in air quality is as yet hard to quantify. But in Panipat, for example, a 2020 study by think-tank the Centre for Science and Environment estimated a fall of 70 to 80 per cent in sulphur oxide emissions, and a drop of 40 to 60 per cent in nitrogen oxides, if all coal-based industries switched. Textile recyclers, dyers and food processors in the city in the northern state of Haryana, along with those in neighbouring Sonipat and Faridabad, have quickly switched away from coal, the previous fuel of choice. The change to biomass, which usually consists of pellets or briquettes of farm residue, promises to slash emissions and spur farmers to sell such residue instead of burning it, say industry officials and regulators. The switch could also bring lower costs, since biomass is 14 per cent cheaper than coal, a 2021 study sponsored by the British government showed. King coal Coal was “king” of fuels in India’s National Capital Region after the South Asian nation banned petcoke – a polluting, energy-intensive alternative – in 2017, the CSE report showed. It was the primary fuel for about a quarter of all industries in Haryana’s three major clusters near New Delhi. Now coal is losing out to biomass. “Many petcoke traders became coal traders after a ban on petcoke in 2017,” said Kamaljeet Singh, a senior pollution control official in Panipat. “Now hundreds of coal traders have become biomass traders.” About 27 per cent of the region’s companies use natural gas, while more than 250 units, or 15 per cent, use electricity, the regulators said. “It has been easier for small industries to convert to biomass instead of converting to natural gas because of lower prices,” Monish Ahuja, chairman of the Confederation of Biomass Energy Industry of India, told Reuters. About 81 per cent of the 398 industrial units operating in Panipat alone have converted to biomass, Singh added, devouring coal’s share of 56.2 per cent in 2020. Industries are experimenting with agricultural waste such as rice husk, groundnut and mustard briquettes as fuel, regulators and owners of small textile and recycling mills in Panipat said. Rising prices But biomass traders and consumers are voicing concern about rising prices after the coal ban and seasonal fluctuations in the supply of crop residue, citing these as factors limiting wider national use of the fuel. Average prices of biomass briquettes rose 36 per cent to 7,711 rupees (S$124) a kilogramme by the end of 2022, versus 5,677 rupees at the end of 2021, on online marketplace BiofuelCircle, based in the western city of Pune. But owners of industrial units in Panipat said the local nature of New Delhi’s coal ban confers a cost advantage on similar industries elsewhere in India, as they can continue using coal. “Because of these restrictions, Panipat industries are finding it extremely difficult to compete,” said Bhim Rana, president of a dyers’ association in the city. Higher costs fuelled by taxes and a ban on exports of biomass briquettes were among factors attributable to policy that limit supply, the British study said. “Supply is about a third or fourth of total demand currently,” said Suhas Baxi, chief executive of BiofuelCircle. The study recommended developing a biomass trading platform, better storage, concessional loans and lower interest rates for investors in manufacturing. “Explicit government policy support will be needed to overcome the constraints,” it added. REUTERS

From the India Today archives (2022) | E-waste: The mounting threat

With prime minister Narendra Modi reminding Indians of the need to properly dispose of e-waste in his latest Mann Ki Baat radio address, INDIA TODAY looks back at when we flagged this growing threat in our September 12, 2022 issue Just think of the number of times you change your cellphone. Or buy yourself a new TV, computer or air-conditioner. But do you ever stop to think what becomes of the old gadgets that you are replacing? You only have to visit Mustafabad in northeast Delhi to find that out. One of India’s largest electronic graveyards, shops and godowns here exist cheek by jowl in narrow, densely populated bylanes. Enter one, and you will find green, fully-wired printed circuit boards stacked to the roof and consoles of TV sets overflowing into the street. In another, air-conditioner compressors and other parts are being stripped of their metal. A third bylane is full of copper wire jutting out of white gunny sacks. An orchestra of grinding, crunching or soldering sounds plays all around you, even as the putrid smell of burning plastic hangs permanently in the air. Every part of an electronic device comes apart here, yielding not just iron, copper or aluminium but also precious gold, silver and platinum, every last bit extracted to be sold. There’s a hundred times more gold in a tonne of electronic waste than in a tonne of ore—or so they say. It’s a fact that a tonne of discarded cellphones or PCs can give you 280 grams of gold, worth Rs 16 lakh. That’s the loot your local kabadi centres are probably after. Electronic or e-waste has become a big business and a big threat in India in the past few decades. It covers the three broad categories of electronic goods—white (think refrigerators, washing machines and air-conditioners); grey (desktop computers, laptops, cellphones and printers); and brown (television sets, cameras and recorders). Half of the e-waste these products generate is iron and steel, 21 per cent plastic and 13 per cent copper, aluminium and precious metals. In addition, there are hazardous substances like mercury, lithium, lead and cadmium, which, if not handled carefully, can be toxic or carcinogenic. India is now the world’s third-largest source of e-waste, generating around 3.2 million tonnes annually (2019), behind only China (10 million tonnes) and the US (6.9 million tonnes),according to the Global E-waste Monitor 2020. The situation is only likely to worsen, with the boom in the consumption of such goods threatening to add to the tonnes of waste India already generates. We sell over 150 million smartphones a year, 17.5 million television sets, 20 million pieces of audio equipment, 14.5 million refrigerators and 7 million washing machines. With an average product life of 9-10 years, the Delhi-based research and advocacy non-profit Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) estimates that, by 2030, India will generate 14 million tonnes of e-waste, or four times the current volume. The explosion in e-waste has seen a formalisation of the recycling industry, with over 472 units in the country currently. But they are estimated to be handling a mere 15 per cent of the total e-waste generated. It’s the informal chain, starting with the friendly neighbourhood kabadiwala, that processes the rest, taking what they need and discarding the rest, posing a hazard for the environment. That is the threat that the country needs to address. The hazards of e-refuse “You can’t have e-waste without mercury and lead. It’s there in every device,” says Asif Pasha, who runs EwaRDD Recyclers in Bengaluru and has seen both the informal and formal side of e-waste recycling. Back in the late 1990s, when e-waste was still a foreign concept in India, Pasha dropped out of college following his father’s death to take up the family business of extracting metals from electronic devices, informally, like many others in the Goripalya locality of old Bengaluru. In 2009, Pasha set up an industrial unit, as a formal recycler—the first from his locality to make the transition, fitted out with safety gear, dust collectors and fume scrubbers. By the end of that decade, e-waste had become a buzzword—and a growing concern. “The amounts of e-waste in the informal sector have not really come down much, which means these processes still continue,” says Priti Mahesh, chief programme coordinator of Delhi-based environmental NGO Toxics Link, which has been working on e-waste for two decades. “There are a lot of primary studies outside India that show the kind of impact e-waste can have. So, we know the kind of hazard and environmental pollution e-waste ends up causing.” Electronic waste recycling involves handling heavy metals such as mercury, lead and cadmium besides organic pollutants such as dioxins, and other air pollutants emitted during burning. A 2021 World Health Organization report identified more than 1,000 harmful substances as being either components of e-waste or artisanal processing systems.