New Delhi: The Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) is all set to take a new mission to ban single-use plastic from October 2.
Former chairperson of National Green Tribunal Justice Swatanter Kumar speaking to ETV Bharat Sources in the government told ETV Bharat that MoHUA has been given the task to ensure the implementation of banning single-use plastic.
"The instructions have been given by the Prime Minister Office (PMO)," said sources. Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his speech on last Independence Day had called for banning single-use plastic.
The Housing Ministry which has accomplished the mission of Open Defecation Free (ODF) is now likely to take this new mission of banning single-use plastic from October 2, commemorating the birth centenary of Mahatma Gandhi.
"As a country, we should take collective efforts to protect the climate," said Justice Swatanter Kumar, former chairperson of National Green Tribunal (NGT).
Justice Kumar said, "Plastic is not a good source for climate change. If it is burnt, it can cause a lot of emissions and if it is not recycled properly it can create a serious problem."
The most common single-use plastics found are carry bags, plastic drinking bottles, food wrappers, plastic grocery bags etc.
On the contrary, imposing a ban on the single-use of plastics will not only generate unemployment but it will also hamper in revenue generation.
A report from the All India Plastic Manufacturer Association said that India's plastic industry recorded an annual revenue worth Rs 3.5 lakh crore in the financial year 2019.
This was spread across 50,000 processing units, the bulk of these being small and medium enterprises.
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