Centre government sets up expert panel to study, define single use plastic

In light of plastic bans that led to the shuttering of several plastic units, in turn leading to loss of jobs in Maharashtra and other states, the Central government has decided to constitute an expert committee under the chairmanship of scientist Dr Raghunath Mashelkar. It will study the single use plastic and submit its report in the next two months.

According to the notification issued by the Ministry of Chemical and Fertilizers, “Plastic has been contributing significantly towards the growth of the petrochemical sector. The use of plastic is an environmental concern. So many state governments have imposed the ban on the single use plastic. However, there is a difference of opinion over the single use plastic. To bring clarity, the government has decided to constitute the expert’s committee.”

The proposed committee will define the single use plastic and submit its report subsequently.

The expert committee will be headed by scientist Dr Raghunath Mashelkar, president of Global Research Alliance (GRA), Pune, while Prof Ashok Misra from Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, Dr R Vasudevan from Thiagarajar College Of Engineering, Madurai, among others will be members of this committee. The committee can also co-opt members from plastic industry and other experts if required.

Plastic trader Rajesh Malde welcomed the move, but stated, “Till the committee submits its report, we should be allowed to use plastic thicker than 50 micron.”