From June 23, India’s second-populous state Maharashtra will start penalising all those found using plastic products, including single-use disposable items. The Devendra Fadnavis-led state government enforced the ban after issuing the Maharashtra Plastic and Thermocol Products notification in March this year. The government had given the manufacturers, distributors, and consumers a period of three months to dispose their existing stock and come up with alternatives to plastic usage. While environmentalists welcomed the cabinet’s decision, the plastic industry has slammed the government calling it a “retrograde step.” With its huge dependence on plastic and lack of alternatives to the banned products, many also wonder if the plan would be a success. On this edition of the ‘The Big Picture’ we analyse if banning plastic is the solution to the problem.
Guests - Ravi Agrawal, Chairman, Environment Committee, All India Plastic Industries Association,
Swati Singh Sambyal, Programme Manager, Centre for Science and Environment,
Dr. Suneel Pandey, Senior Director, Waste Management, The Energy and Resources Institute,
Dr. Vijay Habbu, Technical Advisor, Pet Packaging Association for Clean Environment,
Sandeep Sen, Senior Journalist & Author,
Anchor - Frank Rausan Pereira
21 июн 2018
