THE GIST of Editorial for UPSC Exams : 22 October 2019 (Banning single-use plastic (The Hindu))

Banning single-use plastic (The Hindu)

Mains Paper 3: Environment
Prelims level: Single-use plastic
Mains level: Adopted mechanism to control single-use plastic

Context

• Policies announced in haste are an opportunity gone to waste.
• It was in the course of his Independence Day speech this year that the Prime Minister made a statement that held out much hope for those concerned about the degradation of the environment.

Can we free India from single-use plastic?

• The time for implementing such an idea has come. May teams be mobilised to work in this direction.
• A significant step be made on October 2,” the PM said, leading to widespread speculation that India would take its first decisive step towards being plastic-free on Mahatma Gandhi’s 150th birth anniversary.

Initiatives taken by the government

• The Environment Ministry carried reports on the fines that would be imposed on those violating the ban on single-use plastic. But October 2 came and went without bringing any cheer to environmentalists.
• The government, apparently yielding to pressure from the industry — including the powerful FMCG and pharma lobbies — refrained from taking any momentous decision.
• It merely promised to sharpen its awareness campaign against single-use plastic.
• It is now clear that the government failed in its intent because enough homework had not been done before the deadline was set.
• Any move to render illegal the use of such a widely-used packing material involves seeking the cooperation of all stakeholders.
• All this takes several months, and perhaps years, of planning and preparation.
• In retrospect, the distance between Independence Day and Gandhi Jayanthi was only 48 days — too inadequate to implement any major policy decision.

Conclusion

• The government in its World Environment Day pledge in 2018, it promised to phase out single-use plastic by 2022.
• To meet this commitment, work should begin right earnest. Plastic, as we have learnt, cannot be rooted out in a day or, for that matter, in 48 days.

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Prelims Questions:

Q.1) Consider the following statements:
1. IRCTC is a Mini Ratna Category-I central public sector enterprise.
2. IRCTC is administratively controlled by the Ministry of Railways.

Which of the statements given above are correct?
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) None of the above

Ans: C
Mains Questions:
Q.1) To what extent the planning and preparation is needed before Banning single-use plastic. Comment.