The need of the hour is to shun the usage of plastic and adopt alternative solutions said Minister for Finance, Planning and Coordination, Information Technology Pranajit Singha Roy while addressing in a workshop on reduction of single use plastic organized by Netaji Subhas Vidyaniketan supported by Tripura State Pollution Control Board at Muktadhara Auditorium on Tuesday.

Minister for Finance, Planning and Coordination, Information Technology Pranajit Singha Roy shared that though we are aware of the ill effects of single use plastics but we are not being able to do enough to avoid their ill effects. Single-use plastics are typically items that are discarded after being used only once and do not go through the recycling process. Heavy usage of plastics across the world has caused quite a lot of menace, governments and various global regulatory bodies are trying hard to arrest it, he added.

This plastic pollution is not only harming marine life but also entering our food chain and our bloodstream posing a significant threat to human health. Conventional plastics break down into micro and nano plastics quickly which stay in our biological cycles for thousands of years. They often end up in landfills or are leaked in the environment, finding their way into the oceans, he mentioned.

The Indian government introduced the Plastic Waste Management Rules provide a world-leading vision that can help combat this global crisis. India has banned the manufacture, import, stocking, distribution, sale and use of identified single-use plastic items, which have low utility and high littering potential, all across the country from July 1, 2022. The ban on the manufacture, import, stocking, distribution, sale and use of identified single-use plastic items, which have low utility and high littering potential, has come into force from July 1.The list of banned items includes – earbuds with plastic sticks, plastic sticks for balloons, plastic flags, candy sticks, ice-cream sticks, polystyrene (thermocol) for decoration, plastic plates, cups, glasses, cutlery such as forks, spoons, knives, straw, trays, wrapping or packing films around sweet boxes, invitation cards, cigarette packets, plastic or PVC banners less than 100 micron, stirrers, the minister said.

Chairman of Tripura State Pollution Control Board K.S. Sethi, Registar of M.B.B University Dr. Sumanta Chakrabarti, Teacher-in-charge of Netaji Subhas Vidyaniketan  Barnali Majumder and other dignitaries were present.