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जंगलों को जनजातीय समुदायों के प्राकृतिक आवास के रूप में देखना होगा: सुनीता नारायण

सेंटर फॉर साइंस एंड एनवॉयरमेंट (सीएसई) की महानिदेशक सुनीता नारायण ने बृहस्पतिवार को कहा कि जंगलों को जनजातीय समुदायों के प्राकृतिक आवास के रूप में देखना होगा और वन संरक्षण पर स्थानीय आजीविका के एक साधन के तौर पर विचार किया जाना चाहिए। नारायण ने कहा कि वन संरक्षण को जलवायु परिवर्तन और प्राकृतिक आपदाओं के संदर्भ में देखना होगा। उन्होंने कहा, ‘‘हमारे सामने जलवायु परिवर्तन का मुद्दा है। वृक्ष जलवायु परिवर्तन का समाधान खोजने के बहुत महत्वपूर्ण कारक हैं और प्रदूषण को कम करने में वनों की बहुत महत्वपूर्ण भूमिका होती है।’’ भुवनेश्वर में सीएसई द्वारा ‘द फाइट ओवर ए राइट’ विषय पर आयोजित कार्यशाला को संबोधित करते हुए नारायण ने कहा कि जब प्राकृतिक आपदाओं की बात आती है तो देश गहरे संकट में होता है और शहरों में हरित क्षेत्रों को योजनाबद्ध तरीके से विकसित किया जाना चाहिए। उन्होंने कहा, ‘‘यदि सरकार नये कानून लाती है, तो आदिवासियों को यह क्या मुआवजा दे रही है? हमारी नीति में कहीं न कहीं कमी है और हमें इस बारे में बात करनी होगी। वन आजीविका का प्राकृतिक स्रोत हैं।’’ नारायण ने कहा कि जंगलों को जीवाश्म ईंधन से होने वाले उत्सर्जन को सोखने और स्थानीय आजीविका का सृजन करने के स्रोत के रूप में देखा जाना चाहिए। भाषा वैभव अर्पणा

Why do we need front of pack food labelling? Because the star rating on it will tell you how healthy the food is

Experts say that such labelling can, in fact, help in reducing the consumption of ultra-processed foods that are high in sugars, salts and fats. A position paper by the Public Health Foundation of India, Centre for Science and Environment and the Indian Academy of Paediatrics earlier this year found how Chile witnessed a 24 per cent drop in sugary drink consumption with a warning label. ndia’s apex food regulator has released a draft notification that will make it mandatory for pre-packaged food items to carry a star rating – just like energy-efficiency ratings on electronic goods – to discourage people from consuming foods high in sugar, salt and fats. The decision to introduce a front-of-pack label of nutrients in pre-packaged foods comes in the backdrop of increasing incidence of non-communicable diseases. What is a front-of-pack label and why do we need it? Any front-of-pack label is supposed to be a graphic or symbol that can provide simplified nutritional information to the consumers, helping them make split-second decisions on which foods to buy. The aim of such labels is to aid consumers make an informed choice, even if they choose to buy high-calorie chips or beverages. Experts say that such labelling can, in fact, help in reducing the consumption of ultra-processed foods that are high in sugars, salts, and fats. A position paper by organisations such as the Public Health Foundation of India, Centre for Science and Environment and Indian Academy of Paediatrics earlier this year found how Chile witnessed a 24 per cent drop in sugary drink consumption with a warning label. “Although it is mandatory for food packages to carry the nutrition content, it is printed in a very small font at the back of the pack, with most people not even reading it. A front-of-pack label is less likely to be ignored,” said Dr Jugal Kishore, Head of the Department of Community Medicine at Safdarjung Hospital. Preventing or reducing consumption of foods high in salts, sugars, and fats could help check the increasing burden of non-communicable diseases in the country, with around 60 per cent of all deaths in the country attributable to it. “Parents will be less likely to give their children Maggie and chips if they see a red warning label on the pack. At present, childhood obesity is a big concern for us as it leads to early onset of lifestyle diseases like diabetes, hypertension and heart attacks. We see people dying at a younger age, in the prime of their lives, because of these diseases in India,” said Dr Suneela Garg, Professor of Community Medicine at Maulana Azad Medical College and advisor to the FOPL groups at AIIMS and National Academy of Medical Sciences. What are the different types of front-of-pack labels? There are several ways in which the nutritional information can be provided on the front of a pack: · Daily Intake Guide — A panel that says what proportion of the daily recommendations of nutrients is present in one serving of the pre-packaged food. · Nutrition Information Panel – A panel that provides the quantity of each of the main nutrients present in the food. · Traffic Light Labelling – A panel that not only shows the amount of fats, salt, sugar and other nutrients present in a serving of the packaged food but also colours it red, orange or green based on how healthy it is. · Warning Label – A colour-coded or written label that shows whether the quantity of salts, sugars and fats is high, without providing any details of the quantities in the food. · Star rating – A label that provides one to five stars based on how healthy the product is, with five being the healthiest. It doesn’t provide a break-up of the nutrients. What has the FSSAI recommended in its draft notification? The country’s apex food regulator – Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) – has proposed a star rating system called the ‘Indian Nutrition Rating (INR)’ where the unhealthiest foods will carry a 0 star rating and the healthiest carry a five star rating, according to the recently released draft notification. As per the draft notification, items will be given scores based on the contribution of energy and content of saturated fats, sugars, sodium, fruits and vegetables (FV), nuts, legumes, and millets (NLM), dietary fibre, and protein in 100 gms of solid or 100 ml liquid foods. Solid foods with a score of more than 25 will be given 0.5 stars while those with a score less than -11 will be given five stars. Liquid foods with a score of more than 20 points are equivalent to 0.5 stars while those scoring zero are equal to five stars, the notification said. “The INR system rates the overall nutritional profile for packaged food by assigning it a rating from ½ star (least healthy) to five stars (healthiest). More stars indicate that the food product is better positioned to provide for the daily human need of nutrients. The logo shall be displayed close in proximity to the name or brand name of the product on front of pack,” the notification read. Along with the star, brands might also choose to display the amounts of various nutrients present. However, it is not mandatory, as per the notification. What do experts say? Several experts have said that a coloured warning label is likely to work the best in countries like India with limited literacy. They say the star rating could be confusing, with people believing even a product with one star could be good because it has a star. Dr Garg said, “We need a type of label that can immediately tell people that a food is unhealthy even without reading anything. A traffic light for the various components can achieve that. People will try to go for products that have more green labels.” She added, “With a star rating, it does not provide the true picture. What is healthy? Should we consider a 3-star to be healthy? If so, a food with high content of say fruits and vegetables or protein but high sugars will also get an average rating and come across as okay.”

Forests Need To Be Viewed As Habitat Of Tribal Communities

Narain said forests should be used as a source to soak up fossil fuel emissions and build local livelihood. Earlier, Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav had said the new forest conservation rules "do not dilute or infringe on" the provisions of the Forest Rights Act, 2006, assuaging concerns that the new rules allow cutting of forests without the consent of forest-dwellers. Forests need to be viewed as a habitat of the tribal communities and forest conservation must be considered a way to build local livelihood, Director General of Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) Sunita Narain said on Thursday. She said forest conservation should be seen along with two contexts -- climate change and natural calamities."We have an issue of climate change. Trees are a very important part of finding an answer to climate change and forests play a very important role in reducing pollution," Narain said. Speaking at a workshop on the topic of "The Fight Over a Right" organised by the CSE in Bhubaneswar, she further said the country is in "deep crisis" when it comes to natural calamities and disasters and that green areas in the cities need to be planned. "If the government is bringing new laws, what compensation is it giving to the tribals? Somewhere we are going wrong in the policy and that is something we have to talk about. Forest is also a natural source of livelihood," she said. Narain said forests should be used as a source to soak up fossil fuel emissions and build local livelihood. Earlier, Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav had said the new forest conservation rules "do not dilute or infringe on" the provisions of the Forest Rights Act, 2006, assuaging concerns that the new rules allow cutting of forests without the consent of forest-dwellers. The environment ministry notified the Forest (Conservation) Rules, 2022 under the Forest (Conservation) Act (FCA) on June 28 to replace the earlier rules, notified in 2003. The FCA was enacted in 1980 to help conserve the country's forests. It strictly restricts and regulates the de-reservation of forests or use of forest land for non-forest purposes without the prior approval of the Centre

जंगलों को जनजातीय समुदायों के प्राकृतिक आवास के रूप में देखना होगा: सुनीता नारायण

सेंटर फॉर साइंस एंड एनवॉयरमेंट (सीएसई) की महानिदेशक सुनीता नारायण ने बृहस्पतिवार को कहा कि जंगलों को जनजातीय समुदायों के प्राकृतिक आवास के रूप में देखना होगा और वन संरक्षण पर स्थानीय आजीविका के एक साधन के तौर पर विचार किया जाना चाहिए। नारायण ने कहा कि वन संरक्षण को जलवायु परिवर्तन और प्राकृतिक आपदाओं के संदर्भ में देखना होगा। उन्होंने कहा, ‘‘हमारे सामने जलवायु परिवर्तन का मुद्दा है। वृक्ष जलवायु परिवर्तन का समाधान खोजने के बहुत महत्वपूर्ण कारक हैं और प्रदूषण को कम करने में वनों की बहुत महत्वपूर्ण भूमिका होती है।’’ भुवनेश्वर में सीएसई द्वारा ‘द फाइट ओवर ए राइट’ विषय पर आयोजित कार्यशाला को संबोधित करते हुए नारायण ने कहा कि जब प्राकृतिक आपदाओं की बात आती है तो देश गहरे संकट में होता है और शहरों में हरित क्षेत्रों को योजनाबद्ध तरीके से विकसित किया जाना चाहिए। उन्होंने कहा, ‘‘यदि सरकार नये कानून लाती है, तो आदिवासियों को यह क्या मुआवजा दे रही है? हमारी नीति में कहीं न कहीं कमी है और हमें इस बारे में बात करनी होगी। वन आजीविका का प्राकृतिक स्रोत हैं।’’ नारायण ने कहा कि जंगलों को जीवाश्म ईंधन से होने वाले उत्सर्जन को सोखने और स्थानीय आजीविका का सृजन करने के स्रोत के रूप में देखा जाना चाहिए।

जंगलों को जनजातीय समुदायों के प्राकृतिक आवास के रूप में देखना होगा: सुनीता नारायण

सितंबर सेंटर फॉर साइंस एंड एनवॉयरमेंट (सीएसई) की महानिदेशक सुनीता नारायण ने बृहस्पतिवार को कहा कि जंगलों को जनजातीय समुदायों के प्राकृतिक आवास के रूप में देखना होगा और वन संरक्षण पर स्थानीय आजीविका के एक साधन के तौर पर विचार किया जाना चाहिए। नारायण ने कहा कि वन संरक्षण को जलवायु परिवर्तन और प्राकृतिक आपदाओं के संदर्भ में देखना होगा। उन्होंने कहा, ‘‘हमारे सामने जलवायु परिवर्तन का मुद्दा है। वृक्ष जलवायु परिवर्तन का समाधान खोजने के बहुत महत्वपूर्ण कारक हैं और प्रदूषण को कम करने में वनों की बहुत महत्वपूर्ण भूमिका होती है।’’ भुवनेश्वर में सीएसई द्वारा ‘द फाइट ओवर ए राइट’ विषय पर आयोजित कार्यशाला को संबोधित करते हुए नारायण ने कहा कि जब प्राकृतिक आपदाओं की बात आती है तो देश गहरे संकट में होता है और शहरों में हरित क्षेत्रों को योजनाबद्ध तरीके से विकसित किया जाना चाहिए। उन्होंने कहा, ‘‘यदि सरकार नये कानून लाती है, तो आदिवासियों को यह क्या मुआवजा दे रही है? हमारी नीति में कहीं न कहीं कमी है और हमें इस बारे में बात करनी होगी। वन आजीविका का प्राकृतिक स्रोत हैं।’’ नारायण ने कहा कि जंगलों को जीवाश्म ईंधन से होने वाले उत्सर्जन को सोखने और स्थानीय आजीविका का सृजन करने के स्रोत के रूप में देखा जाना चाहिए।

'Forests need to be viewed as habitat of tribal communities'

Forests need to be viewed as a habitat of the tribal communities and forest conservation must be considered a way to build local livelihood, Director General of Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) Sunita Narain said on Thursday. She said forest conservation should be seen along with two contexts -- climate change and natural calamities. "We have an issue of climate change. Trees are a very important part of finding an answer to climate change and forests play a very important role in reducing pollution," Narain said.

समुदाय की भागीदारी से जंगल बचाएं, जंगल बढ़ाएं

इन दिनों सारी दुनिया पर्यावरण से जुड़ी अनेक समस्याओं का सामना कर रही है। इसका नुकसान क्लाइमेट चेंज, ग्लोबल वार्मिंग , नई नई जानलेवा महामारी के रूप में हम देख रहे हैं। बेहतर दुनिया के लिए हमें अपने पर्यावरण को भी बेहतर बनाना होगा। प्राकृतिक संसाधनों, जंगल का संरक्षण करके हम पर्यावरण को बेहतर बना सकते हैं। इसके लिए जंगलों में रहने वाले जनजातीय समाज को अधिक अधिकारसंपन्न बनाना होगा। आदिवासी समुदाय के सहयोग से ही जंगल बचे रहेंगे । उन्हें जंगल से उत्पादित होने वाली वस्तुओं के उपयोग का अधिक अधिकार देना होगा। जंगल में रहने वाले समुदाय का सामाजिक , आर्थिक विकास कैसे हो इसकी प्रभावी योजनाएं बनाकर उनका शीघ्र क्रियान्वयन करने पर जोर देना होगा। वनवासियों की स्थिति को अधिक सुविधासंपन्न बनाकर जंगलों को बचाया , बढ़ाया जा सकता है। उन्होंने कहा कि जंगल , जानवर के साथ ही वहां रहने वाले समुदाय का जीवन सुरक्षित , सुविधाजनक हो , इस बारे में ध्यान देना होगा। पर्यटन की गतिविधि से होनेवाली आय का बड़ा हिस्सा जनजातीय समुदाय के विकास पर खर्च करना होगा। उक्त आशय के विचार सुप्रसिद्ध पर्यावरणविद सुनीता नारायण ने वनवासियों के हक अधिकार पर केंद्रित कार्यशाला के दौरान प्रकट किए। इस विषय पर विमर्श के दौरान पत्रकारों के कई सवालों के जवाब विषय विशेषज्ञों द्वारा दिए गए। सेंटर ऑफ़ साइंस एंड एनवायरमेंट की प्रमुख और डाउन टू अर्थ पत्रिका की संपादक सुनीता नारायण ने एक सवाल के जवाब में कहा कि वनाधिकार कानून इस तरह बनाए जाने चाहिए कि वन्यजीव भी संगठित रहें और स्थाई निवासियों को भी नुकसान ना हो। भुवनेश्वर में आयोजित इस कार्यशाला में वरिष्ठ पत्रकार रिचर्ड महापात्रा ने वनवासियों की परेशानियों के बारे में बताया। वनाधिकार कानून के विशेषज्ञ वाय गिरी राव ने इसकी विस्तार से जानकारी देते हुए विसंगतियों पर सवाल उठाए। इस अवसर पर वरिष्ठ पत्रकार सुपर्णो बनर्जी, प्रियरंजन साहू , दीपक गुरु, डा. सतीश , चंदन , अरिंदम घोष, पूजा अवस्थी , प्रगति , सदाशिव पात्रा कंधमाल, सज्जाद बादशाह झारसुगुड़ा, सोहन दीक्षित भोपाल , मनोज सिंह प्रभात खबर रांची , अपर्णा बोस पीटीआई दिल्ली , विवेक मिश्रा दिल्ली , जी के मिश्रा, चंद्रकांत पारगे कोरिया, श्वेता मीडिया नेक्स्ट चैनल , ल्हासा चेन्नई , श्रीनिवास चल्ला आंध्र ज्योति हैदराबाद , कुमार यू एन आई बैंगलुरु, शुचिता झा , सुकन्या नायर , श्रुति मोकाक्षी, तुषार दास ,जतिंद्र दास सहित बड़ी संख्या में पर्यावरणप्रेमी पत्रकार उपस्थित थे।

समुदाय की भागीदारी से जंगल बचाएं

इन दिनों सारी दुनिया पर्यावरण से जुड़ी अनेक समस्याओं का सामना कर रही है। इसका नुकसान क्लाइमेट चेंज, ग्लोबल वार्मिंग , नई नई जानलेवा महामारी के रूप में हम देख रहे हैं। बेहतर दुनिया के लिए हमें अपने पर्यावरण को भी बेहतर बनाना होगा। प्राकृतिक संसाधनों, जंगल का संरक्षण करके हम पर्यावरण को बेहतर बना सकते हैं। इसके लिए जंगलों में रहने वाले जनजातीय समाज को अधिक अधिकारसंपन्न बनाना होगा। आदिवासी समुदाय के सहयोग से ही जंगल बचे रहेंगे। उन्हें जंगल से उत्पादित होने वाली वस्तुओं के उपयोग का अधिक अधिकार देना होगा। जंगल में रहने वाले समुदाय का सामाजिक, आर्थिक विकास कैसे हो इसकी प्रभावी योजनाएं बनाकर उनका शीघ्र क्रियान्वयन करने पर जोर देना होगा। वनवासियों की स्थिति को अधिक सुविधासंपन्न बनाकर जंगलों को बचाया , बढ़ाया जा सकता है। उन्होंने कहा कि जंगल, जानवर के साथ ही वहां रहने वाले समुदाय का जीवन सुरक्षित, सुविधाजनक हो, इस बारे में ध्यान देना होगा पर्यटन की गतिविधि से होनेवाली आय का बड़ा हिस्सा जनजातीय समुदाय के विकास पर खर्च करना होगा। उक्त आशय के विचार सुप्रसिद्ध पर्यावरणविद सुनीता नारायण ने वनवासियों के हक अधिकार पर केंद्रित कार्यशाला के दौरान प्रकट किए। इस विषय पर विमर्श के दौरान पत्रकारों के कई सवालों के जवाब विषय विशेषज्ञों द्वारा दिए गए। सेंटर ऑफ़ साइंस एंड एनवायरमेंट की प्रमुख और डाउन टू अर्थ पत्रिका की संपादक सुनीता नारायण ने एक सवाल के जवाब में कहा कि वनाधिकार कानून इस तरह बनाए जाने चाहिए कि वन्यजीव भी संगठित रहें और स्थाई निवासियों को भी नुकसान ना हो। भुवनेश्वर में आयोजित इस कार्यशाला में वरिष्ठ पत्रकार रिचर्ड महापात्रा ने वनवासियों की परेशानियों के बारे में बताया। वनाधिकार कानून के विशेषज्ञ वाय गिरी राव ने इसकी विस्तार से जानकारी देते हुए विसंगतियों पर सवाल उठाए। इस अवसर पर वरिष्ठ पत्रकार सुपर्णो बनर्जी, प्रियरंजन साहू, दीपक गुरु, डा. सतीश, चंदन, अरिंदम घोष, पूजा अवस्थी, प्रगति, सदाशिव पात्रा कंधमाल, सज्जाद बादशाह झारसुगुड़ा, सोहन दीक्षित भोपाल, मनोज सिंह प्रभात खबर रांची, अपर्णा बोस पीटीआई दिल्ली , विवेक मिश्रा दिल्ली, जी के मिश्रा, चंद्रकांत पारगे कोरिया, श्वेता मीडिया नेक्स्ट चैनल, ल्हासा चेन्नई , श्रीनिवास चल्ला आंध्र ज्योति हैदराबाद , कुमार यू एन आई बैंगलुरु, शुचिता झा , सुकन्या नायर, श्रुति मोकाक्षी, तुषार दास, जतिंद्र दास सहित बड़ी संख्या में पर्यावरणप्रेमी पत्रकार उपस्थित थे।

CSE announces guidelines for legacy waste management.. Read more at: https://www.constructionworld.in/urban-infrastructure/wastewater-and-sewage-treatment/cse-announces-guidelines-for-legacy-waste-management/36550

In a bid to support India’s garbage-free cities agenda, the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) released a roadmap for legacy waste management. The CSE’s seven-point roadmap includes developing a sustainable solid waste management plan, ensuring maximum utilisation of recovered fractions and.. Read more at:https://www.constructionworld.in/urban-infrastructure/wastewater-and-sewage-treatment/cse-announces-guidelines-for-legacy-waste-management/36550

When brands drop the act

Moving away from celebrities and influencers, several brands are using real-life stories to convey their message In December 2020, a groundbreaking report by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) shook the fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) industry. CSE researchers tested honey from 13 top brands like Dabur, Patanjali, Baidyanath and shared that only three brands passed the nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) test that ascertains the composition of a product at the molecular level. Dabur was quick to respond with reports that there was no evidence of sugar syrup in their honey. Cut to 2022. On August 1, actor Sonu Sood asked a pertinent question on Twitter. “For my fitness regime, have decided to switch from sugar to honey in my diet. But how to be sure about purity of #honey that we consume?” he wrote. Seeing a prospective high-profile brand ambassador with a good reach, Dabur India seized the opportunity to pitch their product to Sood. Byas Anand, Dabur India’s head of corporate communications, was seen taking Sonu Sood to their farms and factory to show how hygienically and organically they synthesise their honey. The ad film was released around mid-August. In the age of influencer marketing, real advertisements that show the original consumers of products or take audiences on a journey to their product-making process strike a different chord. “Dabur honey is one of the most trusted brands in India and Sonu Sood is also looked upon as an extremely trustworthy voice,” says Dabur India marketing head, health supplements, Prashant Agarwal. “When he enquired about the purity of honey available in the market on social media and Dabur responded to the query, we saw it as a wonderful opportunity to build an authentic experience around the exchange. We tagged along with the actor and our corporate communications head Byas Anand to capture the entire journey from hive to home,” he adds. According to Agarwal, authentic stories build a strong connection with the audience because there are no filters or scripts. “It’s just the real experiences that help strengthen people’s trust in the brand,” he says. Talking about if realistic ads help the brand gain more traction, Dabur shares that in future too, they will resort to realistic advertising and storytelling which is supported by such credible voices. “In the past couple of years, the brand has focused on creating digital-first content through campaigns like Heroes of Honey, Shubho Bijoya, etc, which have featured exclusive stories of beekeepers, honey collectors and their families. These campaigns have performed very well on engagement metrics and driving conversations, particularly amongst millennial audiences. We will continue leveraging digital as a medium for such realistic and emotional advertising,” says Agarwal. Lately it has also been proved that celebrity endorses do not necessarily guarantee success. Leading actors like Ajay Devgn, Shah Rukh Khan and Akshay Kumar were criticised for endorsing a pan masala brand through surrogate ads. Dabur’s choice of Byas Anand to appear in the video is, thus, also a shift away from celebrity endorsers. Talking to FE, Anand says, “When Sonu Sood agreed to experience the purity journey of Dabur Honey, we decided to present this entire journey in the form of a digital campaign. The intent was to keep it realistic as an experiential and informative tour for the larger audience.” Similarly, when personal care brand Dove drove the campaign to #StopTheBeautyTest, it connected with consumers much more than ads claiming to lighten skin colour and propagating biases. Here were real women showing their real skin on camera and talking about their experiences with the product—a welcome shift from fair-skinned actors and models endorsing fairness creams and soaps. It aimed to send the message: “We must stop putting women through the unfair beauty test.” Priya Nair, executive director, HUL & VP – beauty and personal care South Asia, opines, “As owners of some of the largest beauty brands in the country, the onus to make beauty more positive and more inclusive is on us. With #StopTheBeautyTest, we want to go one step forward in that direction.” The campaign went on to emphasise the unspoken impact of judgments on self-esteem and body confidence of women. In the past, tea brand Brooke Bond Red Label Tea’s ‘6 Pack band’ advertisement that showed transgenders and a 2017 Vicks ad campaign which showed a transgender mother raising a daughter, too, won many hearts and went viral. In fact, the former was awarded the Grand Prix Glass Lion in Cannes. “In 2016, we set a challenge to #Unstereotype and move to progressive portrayals of people in our ads,” reads a note from Unilever. Manas Lahiri, managing director, Havas Worldwide India that created the recent Dabur ad and has also made ads for brands like Durex, Citroen and Vivo says, “When Sonu Sood posted a genuine health query on social media regarding the quality and purity of honey, we saw it as a great opportunity for Dabur Honey to build an authentic live experience. We felt capturing this journey would help build a strong connection with the audience and further help strengthen people’s trust in the brand.” Similarly, ad agency Ogilvy India teamed up with Cadbury Celebrations to put out a heartwarming ‘Not Just A Cadbury Ad’ wherein they showed real small businesses.

What Are Some Challenges Ahead Of India’s Fight Against Plastic?

Brushing our teeth with a plastic brush and toothpaste that comes in a plastic tube as soon as we wake up and take a bath using a plastic bucket and mug. Plastic is deeply embedded in a modern daily household. India generates approximately 9.46 million tonnes of plastic waste per year, an estimated 25,940 tonnes per day of plastic waste generation, as projected by Central Pollution Control Board. The government of India has banned the manufacture, import, stocking, distribution, and sale of single-use plastic from 1st July 2022, in line with PM Modi’s call to phase out single-use plastic by 2022. India’s step to phase out single-use plastic is the most ambitious and revolutionary plan so far to tackle plastic pollution in the world. But India’s history of plastic regulations tells a different story. The first regulation to ban single-use plastic in India was enacted in 1999 when the sale of thin polythene bags was restricted. Afterwards, three national laws and various state legislatures have been enacted to phase out these products. But through various such steps taken in the last two decades, we have not able been to achieve the purpose. The immediate question rise after the ban is what are the alternatives? The government’s failure to identify and promote sustainable alternatives to SUPs is one of the major reasons for the failure of bans in the past. Plastic is cheaper than sustainable alternatives and small-scale manufacturers need government patronage, subsidies and supportive infrastructure to fill the gap of plastic in the market. The alternatives sector does not produce at a scale to enable businesses all over the country to make the environment-friendly transition very suddenly. The government needs to prepare the market for this major transition. It would also be a great opportunity to create new jobs. A sustainable initiative based in Uttar Pradesh-based sustainable cutlery brand manufacturing by utilising tons of sugarcane waste is an example of such sustainable options. They have a 50% workforce of local women and they pay to double the minimum labour wage. Outright bans without a comprehensive plan and poor enforcement have contributed to the failure of legislation in the past. The effect of the ban stays for a few days and as the media attention shifts away, authorities are no more interested in enforcing the law. There were no proper monitoring methods for the authorities for implementation. However, now Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav has pointed out the problem and said that his ministry will set up control rooms to monitor the ban. Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) seized more than 31,000 kg of plastic and levied fines worth Rs. 1.4 crore in 2018. Even after that, reports showed that plastic plates, spoons, cups, and polythene bags came back on the market very soon. In an order of the NGT in 2021, it was found that there was a huge gap in the preparation and execution of action plans for the implementation of the PWM Rules. Preparing local government and public mindset is an integral part of the phasing out of SUPs. It can’t be expected that an order is dictated and the next day everything will be at its place automatically. In metro cities, people are getting aware while making daily choices and practising waste segregation. But it remains a challenge to train the citizens of tier 2 and tier 3 cities. In Muzaffarpur city of Bihar, the Centre for Science and Environment along with ITC Ltd initiated a decentralised solid waste management program with Muzaffarpur Municipal Corporation (MMC) in 2017. Around 70 volunteers carried out a painstaking door-to-door awareness campaign in 87,000 households and MMC provided with two superior quality plastic bins (green for wet and blue for dry waste) to them. Currently, only a few per cent of the citizen in Muzaffarpur are practising waste segregation at home despite having two bins. Only a few months of awareness campaigns can’t help in a long-term transition and behavioural change. Such cities need a long-running citizen awareness program for success in the fight against single-use plastics, and the local municipal bodies need to be trained in proper waste management practices. Most states don’t have a reliable waste management ecosystem, including segregation, collection, and recycling system. Phasing out single-use plastic is a very daunting process and it requires a long-term vision, commitment and strategic planning. The government must learn from the mistakes in the past and carefully plan the transition into recyclables for the success of the ban. Featured image is for representational purposes only.

Stubble burning: Bleak winter looms as farmers say no to bio-decomposer use

After the Centre declined to contribute to the plan of Delhi and Punjab governments to incentivise farmers with Rs 2,500 per acre for not burning stubble — remains of rice harvest — winter in the capital this year may not turn out to be any better than the previous ones. The paddy harvesting season is almost at hand. Of the remaining two options of using seeders to plant wheat without ridding the field of the stubble — besides deploying other machinery — and employing bio-decomposers to degrade the remnants, the two state governments are in favour of the latter. The farmers, however, find the bio-decomposer impractical to use. This could pose a challenge for the AAP government in Delhi, which has earlier been critical of the Punjab and Haryana governments for not doing enough to control the farm fires which cause smog to envelop Delhi in winter. According to the Centre for Science and Environment, the first episode of smog is often triggered by large-scale stubble burning. Pusa solution takes a month to work, not ideal for short window between 2 crops Last winter had two to three-fold more rainfall than usual but Delhi recorded the longest smog episode in four years that lasted for 10 days. It had started building up from Diwali (November 4, 2021). Such acute smog episodes had lasted six days in the winter of 2018-19, eight days in 2019-20 and seven days in 2020-21. With the stubble being burned, there were a total of 25 severe or worse polluted days last winter as against 20 in the winter of 2020-21 and 25 in 2019-20. The Pusa decomposer, developed at the Indian Agricultural Research Institute, is a microbial spray for in-situ management of crop stubble. It decomposes and converts the remains of the harvest into a natural nutrient for the soil. The problem, according to farmers, is that the decomposer takes 30 days or more to work when there is only a very small window between the rice harvest and the sowing of the wheat crop. For the cultivators, spraying bio-decomposers is an additional “impractical, useless step” that requires time and labour and increases worries due to the shortened window between the crops. So, while the crop residue management machinery, including seeders, may work to an extent, bio-decomposers are not practical for farmers. “It’s a big no for most of the farmers because they don’t have the time to spare,” said Gurmail Singh of Jasso Majra in Patiala district. “We would rather use machines. Those who can’t afford the special machines will be forced to resort to stubble burning.” The Delhi government has for the last few years tried to demonstrate the efficacy of the bio-decomposer solution by roping in farmers in Delhi without much success. Satyavan Sehrawat, a farmer in Dariyapur Kalan, northwest Delhi, who has begun harvesting his 40 acres of paddy, said the long time the Pusa decomposer took to work last year led to losses for those who tried it. “The decomposer takes at least 45 days to work. A farmer also has to ensure there is enough moisture in the field and employ a rotavator or plough to mulch the stubble into the soil. Since the decomposer is fungal, it gets activated only if there’s moisture in the field. Even two days of direct sunlight can spoil it,” he claimed. A couple of months ago, the AAP government in Punjab had prepared a plan with the party’s government in Delhi to provide a cash incentive of Rs 2,500 per acre to farmers for not burning the stalks of rice harvest, with an outlay of Rs 1,875 crore for farmers cultivating 75 lakh acres. The Punjab and Delhi governments were to pay Rs 500 per acre each (Rs 375 crore each) of the incentive with the Centre expected to contribute the remaining Rs 1,500 per acre. That plan has now been shelved. The Centre was, perhaps, apprehensive of the fact that if cash incentives were given to the Punjab farmers, similar demands would be made by farmers in Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, where, too, rice harvest remnants are burned at the onset of winter. “The process of decomposing takes up to three weeks, which is the overall window between paddy harvesting and sowing of the new wheat crop,” pointed out Ajmer Singh Dhatt, research director, Punjab Agriculture University. Besides, the agriculture department has claimed it can make bio-decomposers available for trials in only 5,000 acres (2,023 hectares) while rice is cultivated in over 75 lakh acres (30 lakh hectares) in Punjab. The remnants of the rice harvest were burned in around 15.6 lakh hectares (51% of the cultivation area) last year though this was the lowest in the last few years, said experts. So far, Punjab has received Rs 1,145 crore as subsidy from the Centre for the CRM machinery and spent Rs 935 crore in providing 90,422 machines to farmers. These include seeders, the use of which does not require the field to be cleared of the remains of the previous harvest. For 2022-23, the state has got a subsidy of Rs 240 crore for 32,100 machines, taking the total subsidy to Rs 1,385 crore for 1.2 lakh machines. “Trials with decomposers were conducted at Pusa in Delhi. Two other privately prepared decomposers were also tried. It was found that if the solutions are mixed with water and sprayed on the crop stubble without ploughing the remnants into the soil, full decomposition doesn’t take place,” said Dhatt. “Such results could be obtained by using rotavators or other machinery.” He said, this entire process could take over 25 days, time that the farmers do not have. While Dhatt said that he would not recommend the use of bio-decomposers, Punjab agriculture director Gurvinder Singh said that more trials would be carried out, and if the results were encouraging, the area subjected to the method would be increased from the next season. “Subsidy has been provided for a sufficient number of machines to control the fires. Government officials and field staff have been asked to prevail upon farmers not to burn residue,” he said.

Bleak winter looms as farmers find bio-decomposer impractical

After the Centre declined to contribute to the Delhi and Punjab governments' plan to reward farmers with Rs 2,500 per acre for not burning stubble and rice harvest remnants, winter in the capital this year may not be any better than previous ones. The paddy harvesting season is rapidly approaching. The two state governments prefer the latter of the two remaining options: using seeders to plant wheat without removing the stubble — in addition to deploying other machinery — and using bio-decomposers to degrade the remnants. Farmers, on the other hand, find the bio-decomposer impractical to use, Times Of India reported. This could be a problem for the AAP government in Delhi, which has previously chastised the Punjab and Haryana governments for not doing enough to control farm fires, which cause smog to envelop the city during the winter. According to the Centre for Science and Environment, large-scale stubble burning is frequently the cause of the first episode of smog. The Pusa solution takes a month to work Last winter saw two to three times as much rain as usual, but Delhi experienced its longest smog episode in four years, lasting 10 days. It had begun to grow since Diwali (November 4, 2021). Such acute smog episodes lasted six days in the winter of 2018-19, eight days in the winter of 2019-20, and seven days in the winter of 2020-21. With the stubble burned, there were 25 severe or worse polluted days last winter, compared to 20 in 2020-21 and 25 in 2019-20. Home » India » Bleak winter looms as farmers... Bleak winter looms as farmers find bio-decomposer impractical News9 Staff News9 Staff Published On: 18 Sept 2022 10:34 AM Bleak winter looms as farmers find bio-decomposer impractical Image for representational purpose only. (Photo credit: Pixabay) Last winter saw two to three times as much rain as usual, but Delhi experienced its longest smog episode in four years, lasting 10 days. News According to the Centre for Science and Environment, large-scale stubble burning is frequently the cause of the first episode of smog. With the stubble burned, there were 25 severe or worse polluted days last winter, compared to 20 in 2020-21 and 25 in 2019-20. The Delhi government has tried unsuccessfully in recent years to demonstrate the efficacy of the bio-decomposer solution by enlisting the help of Delhi farmers. After the Centre declined to contribute to the Delhi and Punjab governments' plan to reward farmers with Rs 2,500 per acre for not burning stubble and rice harvest remnants, winter in the capital this year may not be any better than previous ones. The paddy harvesting season is rapidly approaching. The two state governments prefer the latter of the two remaining options: using seeders to plant wheat without removing the stubble — in addition to deploying other machinery — and using bio-decomposers to degrade the remnants. Farmers, on the other hand, find the bio-decomposer impractical to use, Times Of India reported. Also Read - Congress' Rahul dilemma continues, loyalists, state units mount pressure on him to take party's charge This could be a problem for the AAP government in Delhi, which has previously chastised the Punjab and Haryana governments for not doing enough to control farm fires, which cause smog to envelop the city during the winter. According to the Centre for Science and Environment, large-scale stubble burning is frequently the cause of the first episode of smog. The Pusa solution takes a month to work Last winter saw two to three times as much rain as usual, but Delhi experienced its longest smog episode in four years, lasting 10 days. It had begun to grow since Diwali (November 4, 2021). Such acute smog episodes lasted six days in the winter of 2018-19, eight days in the winter of 2019-20, and seven days in the winter of 2020-21. With the stubble burned, there were 25 severe or worse polluted days last winter, compared to 20 in 2020-21 and 25 in 2019-20. Also Read - Army issues tenders to buy guns, missiles and drones for emergency procurement The Pusa decomposer, created by the Indian Agricultural Research Institute, is a microbial spray for crop stubble management in-situ. It decomposes and converts the harvest residue into a natural soil nutrient. Farmers complain that the decomposer takes 30 days or more to work when there is only a very short window between rice harvest and wheat crop sowing. Spraying bio-decomposers is an additional "impractical, useless step" for cultivators, requiring time and labour and increasing concerns due to the shortened window between crops. So, while crop residue management machinery such as seeders may be effective, bio-decomposers are not practical for farmers. "It's a big no for most of the farmers because they don't have the time to spare," said Gurmail Singh of Jasso Majra in Patiala district while interacting with Times of India. "We would rather use machines. Those who can't afford the special machines will be forced to resort to stubble burning." The Delhi government has tried unsuccessfully in recent years to demonstrate the efficacy of the bio-decomposer solution by enlisting the help of Delhi farmers. Satyavan Sehrawat, a farmer in Dariyapur Kalan, northwest Delhi, who has started harvesting his 40 acres of paddy, said the long time it took the Pusa decomposer to work last year cost those who tried it money. "The decomposer takes at least 45 days to work. A farmer also has to ensure there is enough moisture in the field and employ a rotavator or plough to mulch the stubble into the soil. Since the decomposer is fungal, it gets activated only if there's moisture in the field. Even two days of direct sunlight can spoil it," he claimed. A few months ago, the AAP government in Punjab collaborated with the party's government in Delhi to offer farmers a cash incentive of Rs 2,500 per acre for not burning rice harvest stalks, with an outlay of Rs 1,875 crore for farmers cultivating 75 lakh acres. The Punjab and Delhi governments were to contribute Rs 500 per acre (Rs 375 crore), with the Centre expected to contribute the remaining Rs 1,500 per acre. That plan has since been abandoned. Perhaps the Centre was concerned that if cash incentives were given to Punjab farmers, similar demands would be made by farmers in Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, where rice harvest remnants are also burned at the start of winter. "The process of decomposing takes up to three weeks, which is the overall window between paddy harvesting and sowing of the new wheat crop," pointed out Ajmer Singh Dhatt, research director, Punjab Agriculture University. Furthermore, the agriculture department claims that it can make bio-decomposers available for trials on only 5,000 acres (2,023 hectares), despite the fact that rice is grown on over 75 lakh acres (30 lakh hectares) in Punjab. According to experts, the remnants of the rice harvest were burned in around 15.6 lakh hectares (51% of the cultivation area) last year, which was the lowest in recent years. So far, Punjab has received Rs 1,145 crore in Centre subsidies for CRM machinery and has spent Rs 935 crore on providing 90,422 machines to farmers. These include seeders, which do not require the field to be cleared of the previous harvest's remains. The state has received a subsidy of Rs 240 crore for 32,100 machines for 2022-23, bringing the total subsidy to Rs 1,385 crore for 1.2 lakh machines. "Trials with decomposers were conducted at Pusa in Delhi. Two other privately prepared decomposers were also tried. It was found that if the solutions are mixed with water and sprayed on the crop stubble without ploughing the remnants into the soil, full decomposition doesn't take place," said Dhatt. "Such results could be obtained by using rotavators or other machinery." According to him, the entire process could take more than 25 days, which the farmers do not have. While Dhatt stated that he would not recommend the use of bio-decomposers, Punjab agriculture director Gurvinder Singh stated that more trials would be conducted, and if the results were encouraging, the area subjected to the method would be expanded beginning with the following season. "Subsidy has been provided for a sufficient number of machines to control the fires. Government officials and field staff have been asked to prevail upon farmers not to burn residue," he said.