CENTRE AND STATE TO USE THE SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORM TO CAMPAIGN FOR BAN ON NATIONWIDE SINGLE USAGE PLASTIC FROM TODAY

BY DEBASHREE CHAKRABORTY

KOLKATA, 1 JULY 2022

Union minister of Environment, forest and climate change, Bhupinder Yadav has said that the center along with the state  governments  are in the process of institutionalizing social media campaigns to sensitize phasing out of single use plastic from the country at Kolkata today.

“ The  people should be sensitised of the ill effects of the single use plastics which have low utility and high littering potential  as well as center’s efforts to stop use of plastics officially all across the country. In fact the ban starts from today,” Bhupendra Yadav said.

He added that already the MoEFCC has formed a National Task Force for this and already the Secretary of the ministry is in constant touch with the state authorities to implement the center’s notification of the Plastic Waste Management Amendment Rules 2021, on August 12, 2021.

The union minister has come to Kolkata today to inaugurate the 107th Founders Day of the Zoological Society of India (ZSI).

He said that Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) under the MoEFCC has come up with an app, called Green APP – ‘Single Use Plastic” to receive complaints regarding banned items and also those which will be banned from today and all SPCBs have taken action regarding this.

The single use plastic manufacturers are going for alternative and capacity building workshops being organized by MSME units to provide them technical assistance along with ministry of small and micro and medium enterprises and Central Institute of Petrochemical Engineering.

Lauding the role of ZSI, the minister has directed to digitize the data for documentation and preservation of the research of both the flora and the fauna.

Ashwini Choubey, union minister of state for environment, forests and climate control was also present along with Manju Pandey, joint secretary ministry of environment, forests and climate control, Dr.Dhriti Banerjee, Director of Zoological Survey of India (ZSI), Kolkata and Dr. Ashiho Asosii Mao, Director of Botanical Survey of India (BSI).

New books released on the occasion today included –  Animal discoveries new species records, plant discoveries 2021,Birds of India, he wild orchids of goa, faunal diversity of Coringa wildlife sanctuary, Andhra Pradesh, faunal diversity of Satkosa and Baispalli wildlife sanctuaries, algal flora of Jharkhand, faunal diversity of biogeographical zones of India  etc.

Both the ministers have released these new books brought out by ZSI.