Face of Nation : With the government waging war on single-use plastic, mixed feelings have cropped up with some pointing at the positive environmental impact of such an action and others citing the likely unemployment it could cause in the industry.
With plastic manufacturers’ associations in the country asking the government to come clean on what can be defined as single-use plastic, the Union Minister came up with an easy-to-understand definition. “If I were to explain this in layman’s language, any plastic that’s use and throw is single-use plastic. Let the industry come up with alternatives. The government has made its intention absolutely clear, and it wants this form of plastic to go,” he said.
“We have to start by changing habits. I have removed single-use plastic from my office. We have a plan to stop the use of single-use plastic in Food Corporation of India godowns as well,” Mr Paswan said.
Another concern raised was the possible job loss and effect on the economy if such a ban were to be implemented. Mr Paswan allayed those fears, saying that “new alternatives to plastic will also create new job opportunities”. To a question on whether the government must first work on alternatives before contemplating a ban, he said that “both plan and ban have to go simultaneously. We cannot endlessly wait for alternatives”.
However, the Union Minister gave them a three-day deadline ending Thursday to come up with an alternative to plastic bottles. “I will be calling up these representatives to enquire about alternatives they have worked on,” he said.
