Centre for Science and Environment masthead Twitter LinkedIn Facebook Instagram Donate

Cse In News

Cse In News

Odisha Pollution Control Board Ranked No 1 In Transparency Index In Country

Bhubaneswar: The State Pollution Control Board of Odisha has secured number 1 rank in Transparency Index rating done by Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), New Delhi. Member Secretary, State Pollution Control Board Dr K Murugesan has informed this to chief secretary Suresh Chandra Mahaptra. Explaining the ranking, Dr Murugesan said the CSE did the assessment as per the provisions in Sec-17 ( C) and Sec 35 (2) of Air Act, Section 17 ( C) and Sec-39 (2) of Water Act, Environment Protection Action Act and various Waste Management Rules. The assessment focused on putting the data regarding continuous emission monitoring, consent to establish and operate, public hearings for environmental clearance, show cause notices, directions and closure notices about 17 categories of industries on public domain. The rating was done on the basis of 18 parameters relating to these areas. The performance of 31 state pollution control boards and pollution control committees in the country from 2016-2021 was taken into assessment. While complementing the Board for the achievement, the chief secretary advised to involve different stakeholders in environmental management.

Odisha State Pollution Control Board ranked Rated No-1 in Transparency Index

State Pollution Control Board of Odisha(SPCB, Odisha) has been raked No-1 in Transparency Index rating done by Center for Science and Environment(CSE), New Delhi. This was appraised to Chief Secretary Suresh Chandra Mahaptra by Member Secretary, State Pollution Control Board Dr K. Murugesan recently. While complementing the Board for this achievement, Chief Secretary Sri Mahapatra advised the Board to involve different stakeholders in environmental management. The involvement of the stakeholders would be helpful for the Board in enforcement of regulatory compliance for environmental governance. Explaining the ranking, Dr Murugesan said that CSE did the assessment as per the provisions in Sec-17 ( C) and Sec 35 (2) of Air Act, Section 17 ( C) and Sec-39 (2) of Water Act, Environment Protection Action Act and various Waste Management Rules. The assessment focusedon putting of the data regarding continuous emission monitoring, consent to establish and operate, public hearings for environmental clearance, show cause notices, directions and closure notices etc on public domain about about 17 categories of industries. The rating was done on the basis of 18 parameters relating to these focus areas. The performance of all 31 State pollution Control Board and Pollution Control Committees operating in the country from 2016-2021 was taken into assessment process. The outcome of the assessment placed Odisha State Pollution Control Board at the top with 67 percentage points. Telangana Board scored at par with Odisha followed by Tamilnadu, Madhya Pradesh and West Bengal. It may be pertinent here to mention that the procedural re-engineering and administrative reform in SPCB, Odisha was started from 2015 under the leadership of present Chief Secretary Sri Mahapatra during his tenure as Principal Secretary and subsequently Additional Chief Secretary Forest & Environment department. As of now the Board has put online 11 major services online including consent to establish, consent to operate, permissions regarding bio-medical waste management, hazardous waste management, solid waste management, online payment gateway, auto renewal, authorization under e-waste management, registration under plastic waste management, real time data from analyzers, and quality monitoring cameras. The Board has also rolled out mobile application for redressal of public complaint in non-attainment cities.

Odisha & Telangana pollution control boards ranked best in transparency index: Study

New Delhi: Most state pollution boards have taken “minimal initiative” to be transparent with information they collect about environmental pollution and emission data, a study released by the Delhi-based think tank Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) has found. The study, released Thursday, sought to assess how transparent State Pollution Control Boards (SPCBs) and Pollution Control Committees (PCCs) are with disclosing the information they collect under the Water Act, Air Act, and Environment (Protection) Act. SPCBs and PCCs are the agencies in states and Union Territories that have been entrusted with the prevention and control of pollution. “Barring a few boards which have taken steps to use their website and annual report for information sharing, majority of SPCBS/PCCs have made little effort to build a relationship with all stakeholders by sharing information,” says the study. The study has an index, with states rated on the availability of information on their websites and annual reports. The most transparent State Pollution Board are Odisha and Telangana — with a transparency of 67 per cent. The top performers are Tamil Nadu (65.5 per cent), Madhya Pradesh (64 per cent), West Bengal (62 per cent), Goa (60.6 per cent), Karnataka (60.0 per cent), Haryana (59.9 per cent), Chhattisgarh (59.5 per cent) and Himachal Pradesh (59.5 per cent). The worst performing states and Union territories were Nagaland (19.2 per cent), Chandigarh (15.8 per cent), Arunachal Pradesh (13 per cent) Manipur (12.6 per cent) and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands (5.5 per cent).

Odisha Pollution Control Board Tops CSE Transparency Index

The Odisha State Pollution Control Board has ranked number 1 in the transparency index of the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), an official release said on Tuesday. The performance of all 31 state pollution control boards and pollution control committees operating in the country from 2016-2021 was taken into the assessment process, the release stated. The outcome of the assessment placed Odisha SPCB at the top with 67 percentage points. The Telangana board scored at par with Odisha, followed by Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh and West Bengal, it said. State Pollution Control Board member secretary K Murugesan said that the CSE, a not-for-profit public interest research and advocacy organisation, did the assessment on the basis of 18 parameters relating to focus areas. The assessment focused on data regarding continuous emission monitoring, consent to establish and operate, public hearings for environmental clearance, show-cause notices, directions and closure notices on public domain about 17 categories of industries. Chief Secretary Suresh Mohapatra complimented the board for the achievement, advising it to involve different stakeholders in environmental management, according to the statement. The involvement of the stakeholders will be helpful for the board in the enforcement of regulatory compliances for environmental governance, it said. The procedural re-engineering and administrative reform in the Odisha SPCB started in 2015 under the leadership of Mohapatra during his tenure as the principal secretary and subsequently additional chief secretary of the Forest and Environment Department, according to the release. As of now, the board has put online 11 major services, including consent to establish, consent to operate, permissions regarding bio-medical, hazardous waste and solid waste management, real-time data from analysers and quality monitoring cameras. The Board has also rolled out a mobile application for redressal of public complaints in non-attainment cities, it added.

Odisha State Pollution Control Board Bags Top Rank In Transparency Index

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha State Air pollution Management Board (OSPCB) has been ranked No-1 in Transparency Index ranking accomplished by Heart for Science and Atmosphere(CSE), New Delhi. This was revealed by Member Secretary, State Air pollution Management Board Dr Okay Murugesan not too long ago. Whereas complementing the Board for this achievement, Mahapatra suggested the Board to contain totally different stakeholders in environmental administration. The involvement of the stakeholders could be useful for the Board in enforcement of regulatory compliances for environmental governance. Explaining the rating, Murugesan stated that CSE did the evaluation as per the provisions in Sec-17 (C) and Sec 35 (2) of Air Act, Part 17 (C) and Sec-39 (2) of Water Act, Atmosphere Safety Motion Act and numerous Waste Administration Guidelines. The evaluation centered on placing of the information concerning steady emission monitoring, consent to ascertain and function, public hearings for environmental clearance, present trigger notices, instructions and closure notices and so on on public area about about 17 classes of industries. The ranking was accomplished on the premise of 18 parameters relating to those focus areas. The efficiency of all 31 State air pollution Management Board and Air pollution Management Committees working within the nation from 2016-2021 was taken into evaluation course of. The end result of the evaluation positioned Odisha State Air pollution Management Board on the high with 67 share factors. Telangana Board scored at par with Odisha adopted by Tamilnadu, Madhya Pradesh and West Bengal.

Odisha State Pollution Control Board ranked Rated No-1 in Transparency Index

State Pollution Control Board of Odisha(SPCB, Odisha) has been raked No-1 in Transparency Index rating done by Center for Science and Environment(CSE), New Delhi. This was appraised to Chief Secretary Suresh Chandra Mahaptra by Member Secretary, State Pollution Control Board Dr K. Murugesan recently. While complementing the Board for this achievement, Chief Secretary Sri Mahapatra advised the Board to involve different stakeholders in environmental management. The involvement of the stakeholders would be helpful for the Board in enforcement of regulatory compliance for environmental governance. Explaining the ranking, Dr Murugesan said that CSE did the assessment as per the provisions in Sec-17 ( C) and Sec 35 (2) of Air Act, Section 17 ( C) and Sec-39 (2) of Water Act, Environment Protection Action Act and various Waste Management Rules. The assessment focusedon putting of the data regarding continuous emission monitoring, consent to establish and operate, public hearings for environmental clearance, show cause notices, directions and closure notices etc on public domain about about 17 categories of industries. The rating was done on the basis of 18 parameters relating to these focus areas. The performance of all 31 State pollution Control Board and Pollution Control Committees operating in the country from 2016-2021 was taken into assessment process. The outcome of the assessment placed Odisha State Pollution Control Board at the top with 67 percentage points. Telangana Board scored at par with Odisha followed by Tamilnadu, Madhya Pradesh and West Bengal. It may be pertinent here to mention that the procedural re-engineering and administrative reform in SPCB, Odisha was started from 2015 under the leadership of present Chief Secretary Sri Mahapatra during his tenure as Principal Secretary and subsequently Additional Chief Secretary Forest & Environment department. As of now the Board has put online 11 major services online including consent to establish, consent to operate, permissions regarding bio-medical waste management, hazardous waste management, solid waste management, online payment gateway, auto renewal, authorization under e-waste management, registration under plastic waste management, real time data from analyzers, and quality monitoring cameras. The Board has also rolled out mobile application for redressal of public complaint in non-attainment cities.

Pollution control boards are not transparent: CSE report

ATHINDA: As putting crucial pollution related information in the public domain is critical, which can help policy-makers to take the pollution management discussions to the next levels but when it comes to sharing such information with the public, the majority of country’s pollution control agencies remain closed entities. A new rating study by Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) has found that a mere handful of pollution control boards and authorities are adequately putting out environmental and governance information into the public domain. The study ‘Transparency Index: Rating of pollution control boards on public disclosure’ has assessed the data disclosure performance of 29 state pollution control boards (PCBs) and six pollution control committees (PCCs) from across the country. Of these, only 14 boards and committees scored 50 per cent or above. The board of Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Punjab from the region are among those scoring over 50 per cent. Nivit Kumar Yadav, programme director, Industrial Pollution Unit, CSE, says "State PCBs are entrusted with several functions under the provisions of the Water Act, 1974; Air Act, 1981; Water Cess Act, 1977; and various rules and notifications issued under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986. One of these functions under Section 17(C) of the Air and Water Acts is to collect and disseminate information related to air and water pollution and also about its prevention, control or abatement. The law asks the boards to share the data in public domain. But this is rarely done in practice." Shreya Verma, programme officer, Industrial Pollution Unit, CSE, and author of the study explaining the methodology says, "For this study, CSE collected data from two sources - websites of SPCBs/PCCs and their annual reports. The study has evaluated the information shared by SPCBs/PCCs during the last four to five years (2016-21) and uses 25 indicators that provide a broader assessment on the type and amount of information shared. A few key indicators used in the study include the availability of information on direction/show cause/closure notices issued by boards, information on public hearings and EIA reports, non-attainment cities and polluted river stretches" It was found that information on functioning, actions taken by a board against polluting industries, public hearing data on new projects are rarely disclosed or remain difficult to access on the websites. For instance, only 12 states have shared their latest annual reports on their websites. SPCB/PCCs have been protective of industries when it comes to non-compliance. Out of 35 SPCBs/PCCs, only five have shared soft copies of directions and show cause/closure notices issued on their websites. Only five boards including Haryana have shared minutes of their board meetings on their websites. It is mandatory for SPCBs to meet at least once every three months. Board members in these meetings are supposed to discuss issues related to the functioning of the board, action plans, compliance and monitoring, and devising innovative methods to improve enforcement of laws. Only five SPCBs including Himachal Pradesh have shared information on inspection conducted by the boards. Only nine SPCBs/PCCs including Punjab have provided detailed information on public hearings, which includes the executive summary, draft EIA report of the project, and minutes of the meeting. Data indicating the current pollution levels – air pollutants, waste etc – the basic indicators of environment health, is missing. Most boards display inadequate data, indicating no trends. Only 19 SPCBs/PCCs including three from the region are displaying their Continuous Emission Monitoring System (CEMS) data. This, even after a statutory obligation to do it, as per a Supreme Court order and an environment ministry directive. Fourteen SPCBs/PCCs do not share any information on municipal waste generation; 11 on plastic waste generation; 10 on hazardous waste; and nine on e-waste.

Scrappage policy to help in removing unfit vehicles from roads: PM Modi

The move, however, doesn't bring an immediate cheer to the pandemic-bruised auto industry Vinay Umarji & Shally Seth Mohile | Ahmedabad/Mumbai August 13, 2021 Last Updated at 20:42 IST Scrappage policy help in removing unfit vehicles from roads: PM Modi The auto and metal industry is set to get a big boost with the policy, which would make scrap steel available locally, said Modi Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday formally launched the National Automobile Scrappage Policy, which he said would attract investments of about Rs 10,000 crore. The policy would also help in getting rid of unfit and polluting vehicles in a scientific manner, he said. “The policy is an important link to achieve the circular economy of waste to wealth. It will also energise India’s auto sector and metal sector under the principles of reuse, recycle, and recover,” Modi said at a virtual investors’ summit held in Gandhinagar. The policy is an important step forward for the environment because it would not only help reduce air pollution caused by old vehicles, but will also check the enormous damage clunkers can cause, said environmentalists. “Retiring old, jaded vehicles is extremely essential, and this was a much-needed step,” said Sumit Sharma, director (earth science and climate change division) at The Energy Research Institute. The share of vehicular pollution in Delhi is 23 per cent, and fleet modernisation can reduce this to 16 per cent, he said. Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director at Centre for Science and Environment, concurs. “An old BS I truck emits 36 times higher particulates compared to a BS VI truck. It is also necessary to link the replacement of personal vehicles with electric vehicles to help move towards a zero-emissions goal,” she said. The move, however, doesn’t bring an immediate cheer to the pandemic-bruised auto industry. The scrappage policy will take effect in a phased manner and is unlikely to propel the overall sales of cars or commercial vehicles anytime soon. Among other things, it will have to trickle down to states, which, in turn, have to implement it after ensuring availability of requisite infrastructure, said auto industry executives and analysts. R C Bharagava, chairman at Maruti Suzuki India, lauded the move, but added its impact would not be seen in the near term. “It is impossible to assess the impact of the policy on car sales as it’s still far away. The good thing is, we now have a scrappage policy to start with,” he said. ALSO READ: New vehicle scrappage policy to attract investments worth Rs 10,000 crore The whole exercise of scrapping old vehicles will begin from October 1, 2021 after the rules for fitness scrapping centres are released. It will be followed by starting fitness testing for government and public sector undertaking (PSU) vehicles on April 1, 2022. The fitness testing for heavy commercial vehicles will commence on April 1, 2023. For the rest of the segments, it will begin from June 1, 2024. Taking 1990 as the base year, at present around 3.7 million commercial vehicles and 5.2 million passenger vehicles are eligible for voluntary scrapping, said Harshwardhan Sharma, head (auto retail practice) at Nomura. chart Ashish Suman, partner, J Sagar Associates, said, “The success of the policy will hinge on the state governments’ support, creation and availability of scrapyard infrastructure, collaboration between the government and corporates in developing the infrastructure, and most importantly a policy for waste management to avoid environment concerns, which was the centre theme for introducing the policy.” As part of the policy, the government was also looking to provide some concessions on road tax. "The families would also be able to save on costs of maintenance, repair of the vehicle with better fuel efficiency. This policy would benefit the common man in every way," Modi said in his address. On scrap import, the PM said India imported scrap steel worth Rs 23,000 crore last year since scrapping in the country is not as productive and carries zero energy recovery. Also, the new scrappage policy recognises the workers at scrapping facilities and small businessmen, who can become agents for authorised scrapping centres. According to Roychowdhury, the environmental damage from clunkers can be enormous. Unscientific disposal can lead to huge wastage of material that can otherwise be brought back as a resource. If dismantled properly, it is possible to recover low-cost material for the automotive, steel, and electronics industry, among others. “Strategic replacement of very old trucks and buses can reduce emissions significantly,” she said. The auto and metal industry is set to get a big boost with the policy, which would make scrap steel available locally, said Modi. "Gujarat has witnessed the benefits of ship recycling, while it can also become a big hub of auto scrapping," he added. India currently has 10 million cars without valid fitness parameters, thereby adding to pollution and fuel costs, said Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari. “Therefore, we thought of bringing a scrappage policy. Replacing old vehicles with new ones will benefit the environment by 10-12 per cent. The new scrappage policy will generate direct and indirect employment for about 50,000 people," said Gadkari.

On-board Charger Market Is Booming So Rapidly | Top Players – Infineon Technologies ,LG Electronics ,AVID Technology Limited

Scope of the Report of On-board Charger An on-board charger is used to recharge the battery in vehicles either at home or at charging stations. It converts the AC input from the grid to a DC input which charges the battery. Rising fuel prices have led to a rapid expansion of electric mobility. According to a report by India Environment Portal, in 2018, the global electric car fleet exceeded 5.1 million. China remains the world’s largest electric market followed by Europe and the United States. Norway was the global leader in terms of electric car market share (46%). Policy support plays a key role in the development of the electric vehicles market. Some of the key players profiled in the study are: Infineon Technologies (Germany),LG Electronics (South Korea),AVID Technology Limited (United Kingdom),REFU Elektronik GmbH (Germany),Analog Devices (United States),STMicroelectronics (Switzerland),Ficosa Internacional (Spain), NOCO Company (United States),Global Power Electronics (United States),Mitsubishi Electric (Japan) The titled segments and sub-section of the market are illuminated below: Type (Unidirectional, Bidirectional), Charger Level (Level 1 & Level 2 (AC), Level 3 & Above (DC)), Vehicle Type (BEV (Battery Electric Vehicle), PHEV (Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle)), Connector Type (AC {Mennekes, Le-Grand, Others}, DC {CHAdeMO, GB/T, Tesla, Others}) The On-board Charger Market report provides a basic overview of the industry including its definition, geography segment, end use/application segment and competitor segment and manufacturing technology. Then, the report explores the international major industry players in detail.

Only 9 pollution control bodies share details of public hearings online: CSE transparency index

Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Nagaland, Andaman & Nicobar, Puducherry, Chandigarh, Daman & Diu and Uttar Pradesh share no detail of public hearings Pollution control bodies of most Indian states shared no or partial information on public hearings of development projects online, a new study found. There are 34 state pollution control boards (SPCB) and pollution control committees (PCC) in the country that make pollution information public on websites. Of them, those in Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Nagaland, Andaman & Nicobar, Puducherry, Chandigarh, Daman & Diu and Uttar Pradesh did not share any detail of public hearings, according to the report. The study was conducted the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), a Delhi-based non-profit that ranked all the state pollution control panels based on transparency in several parameters. Websites of sixteen SPCBs and PCCs provided incomplete information. Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal, Odisha, Tamil Nadu and Uttarakhand provided executive summaries and minutes of meetings, but not the draft Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) reports, the paper mentioned. Meghalaya, Andhra Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir and Sikkim shared executive summaries and draft EIA reports, but not minutes of public hearings, according to the report. Himachal Pradesh shared minutes of meeting and draft EIA report but didn’t specify the date of the next public hearing. Haryana, Jharkhand and Tripura shared meeting minutes only of projects for which public hearings are over. Assam pollution control board has shared just the list of public hearings conducted and no other detail on their website, the researchers wrote in the report. Daman & Diu and Dadra & Nagar Haveli have a common pollution control body and the one in Lakshadweep does not have a website. Only Karnataka, Telangana, Delhi, Gujarat, Kerala, Punjab, Rajasthan, Goa and Mizoram have put out all the necessary information on public hearings on their websites.

KSPCB hailed for giving info on regulated entities

HUBBALLI: The Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) has emerged as the only board to have provided detailed information on regulated entities, in the nation. Despite having a staff crunch of over 50%, it has stood 6th by making 60% of disclosure, for all the indicators and information furnished by SPCBs and pollution control committees (PCCs), of the nation, with the public, in Kannada and English. A study, ‘Transparency Index: Rating of pollution control boards on public disclosure,’ conducted by Delhi-based Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), and released on August 11, has observed that KSPCB is the only pollution control board to provide detailed information on regulated entities in the state. KSPCB has provided information on a number of red, orange, green and white category industries, separately under industry, stone crushers, townships and residential areas, infrastructure projects, hospitality sector, mines, coffee estates, and numbers of telephone towers and offices having DG sets. The 60-page report, a copy is available with STOI, has said the disclosure of information in the public domain is one of the important functions of state pollution control boards, to increase public participation and public awareness in this realm. It critically evaluates the information shared by SPCBs and PCCs from 2016-21, and uses several indicators that provide a broader indication on the type and amount of information shared. It also aims to improve transparency in sharing information in the public domain by SPCBs and PCCs. However it has also noted that KSPCB and the West Bengal PCB have not made continuous emission monitoring system (CEMS) data accessible to the public, but that it’s password protected. “Along with Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Uttarakhand, the KSPCB has adopted Xtended Green Node (XGN) software for sharing consent information. KSPCB has shared all information like industry name with the name of regional office under which it exists, category of industry, type of consent like fresh,renewal and expansion, the status of consent, inspection ID and CTO or CTE certificate,” the report stated. When it comes to information on compliance, only Karnataka has shared detailed information on the compliance status of water and air polluting industries, zone-wise, the report stated. The report has also noted that KSPCB has 334 working staff, and 52% vacant posts, against its total sanctioned strength of 709. Karnataka has stood one among 10 good performers in the state, in the transparency index.

Single-use plastic rules: Small manufacturers lament loss of business

The Union environment ministry notified the Plastic Waste Management Amendment Rules (2021) that prohibits the manufacture, import, stocking, distribution, sale and use of identified single-use plastic items. The Union environment ministry notified the Plastic Waste Management Amendment Rules (2021) that prohibits the manufacture, import, stocking, distribution, sale and use of identified single-use plastic items. Atin Biswas, programme director (municipal solid waste), Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), said the list of 19-20 plastic items that will be banned by the government from July 1 next year, is dominated by articles that are manufactured and sold by small or medium-scale manufacturers and traders. The notification will not significantly affect large companies that are responsible for nearly 45-50% of plastic waste generation in the country, he said. “For instance, if we talk about earbuds that have been listed among the items to be banned by next year, I can only recall one or two big companies that manufacture these. Otherwise, you will see vendors in trains or bus selling earbuds. Through this notification, these are the people—mostly informal sector for whom it is a matter of survival—that will be impacted,” Biswas said. MORE FROM THIS SECTION Gold, Silver and other precious metal prices in India on Monday, Aug 16, 2021 Indian spot gold rate and silver price on Monday, Aug 16, 2021 PowerGrid was the top loser in the Sensex pack, shedding over 1 per cent, followed by Bajaj Auto, Maruti, Dr Reddys, Asian Paints and Titan. Sensex, Nifty start on choppy note on profit booking, weak global cues Crude’s drop has been reflected in the market’s deteriorating pricing patterns. Brent’s time spread was 38 cents a barrel in backwardation on Monday. Oil pens the week with decline on sustained Delta concerns TV Narendran, chief executive and managing director, Tata Steel, said the current cycle in the steel segment has not only accelerated its efforts to deleverage, but also ensure its European operations are not a drain on the company. ‘European biz is no longer a cash drain’: TV Narendran According to the notification the permitted thickness of plastic bags, currently 50 microns, will be increased to 75 microns from September 30 this year, and to 120 microns from December 31, 2022. The products that have been banned include earbuds with plastic sticks, plastic sticks for balloons, plastic flags, candy sticks, ice-cream sticks, polystyrene (thermocol) for decoration, plates, cups, glasses, cutlery such as forks, spoons, knives, straw, trays, wrapping or packing films around sweet boxes, invitation cards, and cigarette packets, plastic or PVC banners of less than 100-micron thickness. HT on Saturday spoke to several small-scale manufacturers, traders of the items that will be phased out by next year. Most of them said that the amendment was “biased” towards the big companies and will lead to the closure of their units. Rajesh Mittal of the plastic manufacturers and traders association in Delhi said the ministry has defined single-use plastic as “a plastic item intended to be used once for the same purpose before being disposed off or recycled”. He said when the government has clearly defined what comprises single-use plastic, then why items such as milk packets, shampoo sachets, small pet bottles have been exempted from the ban. “This is a biased law that is meant to benefit the big companies while pushing the small units to closure. The worst impacted would be small industries manufacturing plastic bags, straws and cutlery, which do not have the required technology to abide by the new directions. If you want to impose a ban then do so for all single-use plastic items, but you have not touched the big players,” Mittal said.