https://indianmasterminds.com

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

Bihar Cracks Whip on Plastic Pollution, To Enforce Blanket Ban on Polythene

Bihar government will implement complete polythene ban in the state from December 15. Task Force formed to make everyone follow the rules from villages to cities. The state environment ministry is working closely with other departments to enforce the ban strictly.
Indian Masterminds Stories

According to a 2016 report, India generates 15000 tonnes of plastic waste every day. And the number is increasing day by day. The worst effect is its use in the form of plastic bags i.e., polythene. To stop it, the Bihar government is going to enforce complete prohibition of polythene bags from December 15 in the entire state. The Union government has fixed July 1 next year as the date for banning polythene across the country, but the Bihar government is going to take this step about 6 months in advance.

Speaking to Indian Masterminds,Mr. Dipak Kumar Singh, a 1992-batch IAS officer and Principal Secretary of the state Environment Ministry, said that there will be a complete ban on the production, storage, purchase, sale and use of polythene and plastic-thermocol in Bihar. Those caught using these products can be punished with a fine of Rs 5 lakh or imprisonment for a year, or both.

1992-batch IAS officer and Principal Secretary of the state Environment Ministry, Dipak Kumar Singh

AN ACTIVE ENVIRONMENT MINISTRY

The Bihar government issued a notification for this ban in June itself. Already 70 percent of the producers of plastic-thermocol have started looking for other options. Mr. Dipak Kumar Singh informed that the use of polythene comes under ‘single use’, and it is not even recycled. It pollutes everything from land to water. This is why, this rule is being brought and will be strictly enforced.

“We are coordinating with many departments like Panchayati Raj, Urban Development and Industries. We have designated Panchayati Raj Department as the nodal department to look after the implementation in rural areas and Ministry of Urban Development in urban areas. Along with this, a task force has also been formed.It will see the work from the tehsil to the district level.”

The effect of the government’s strictness is already visible. Till the end of last year, there were about 70 thousand manufacturers of plastic and thermocol products in the state. But, in the last four months, their number has come down to 20 thousand.

https://twitter.com/IPRD_Bihar/status/1424666186499772419?s=20

WHAT WAS THE RULE TILL NOW?

Till now, plastic bags, tote bags, carry bags and packaging are required to bear the name and address of its manufacturer. Along with this, the thickness of the carry bag made of plastic should not be less than 40 microns. But these rules are rarely followed.

PLASTIC DAMAGE IN STATISTICS

How much pollution is being caused by plastic products? About 5 to 13 million plastic wastes from the world go into the oceans every year. About one million plastic bottles of water are used in a minute. Polythene is being used in abundance in many places. But polythene or plastic-manufactured items cannot be reused and are thrown away. And they do not get destroyed. In places where they are disposed, they reduce the fertility of the land. Even the seeds buried under them cannot germinate. Thus, the land becomes barren. In this way and many others, plastic is causing serious damage to environment and is a major deterrent on the path to pollution control.


Indian Masterminds Stories
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Related Stories
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
NEWS
UPSC IAS IPS IFS
UPSC Declares Final Results of Combined Section Officers’ (Grade ‘B’) LDCE 2024, 303 Candidates Selected for CSS
nmdc resized
Steel Industry Relief: NMDC Slashes Iron Ore Prices by Up to Rs600 per Tonne Amid Weak Market Demand
MCL
Mahanadi Coalfields (MCL) to Boost Coal Output by 50% by 2035, Backs CIL’s 1-Billion Tonne Target
CEA
Central Electricity Authority (CEA) & IIT Roorkee Forge Strategic Partnership to Accelerate Innovation in Power Sector
5G_
DoT Begins New Spectrum Demand Assessment for Private 5G Networks Through Saral Sanchar Portal
Reserve-Bank-of-India_RBI_resized
2 Years After Withdrawal, Rs 2000 Notes Worth Rs 6,099 Crore Still in Circulation
coal india and hindustan copper
India’s Clean Energy Push: Coal India Signs MoU with Hindustan Copper to Collaborate in Critical Mineral Sector
National-Highways-Authority-of-Indiaa
IAS Vinay Kumar Appointed as Chief Vigilance Officer of NHAI on Additional Charge - Know More
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
Inderjit Singh Air India
Is Air India Carrying The Burden of Split Before Privatisation?
Ex IRS C Rajendiran
Ex-IRS Officer C. Rajendiran Illuminates Thirukkural’s Timeless Wisdom in Exclusive Interview
WhatsApp Image 2025-06-25 at 5.07
Why Has the DGCA Fined Air India Rs 5 Crore Since Privatisation?
ADVERTISEMENT
UPSC Stories
IPS Deepak Meghani
Deepak Meghani, IPS: A Journey of Focus, Failure, and Quiet Discipline
A passionate writer, he has authored several books in Gujarati, ranging from exam strategy guides to...
Sanish Kumar Singh
“If you want it badly enough, you’ll find a way,” Sanish Kumar Singh AIR 8, UPSC IFS 2024 
The real interview, he says, was much more humane. “The board was conversational. The chairman opened...
Raju Wagh
When the Battlefield Became a Study Room and a Dream Took Flight
Amid IED blasts and anti-Maoist operations in Bastar, CRPF Commando Raju Wagh taught village kids, studied...
Social Media
Shailaja Chandra
“Nanis & Dadis Have a Brain”: Former IAS Officer Shailaja Chandra Weighs in on 1970s vs 2025 Life Debate - “This Generation Has It Better”
Responding to Viral Post on Middle-Class Struggles, Ex-Bureaucrat Offers Candid Reflection on Then and...
Tigress Arrowhead
The End of an Era: A Queen Falls - Ranthambore’s Iconic Tigress Arrowhead (T-84) Passes Away at 14, Hours After Daughter’s Relocation
Ranthambore mourns the loss of one of its fiercest and most beloved tigers, Arrowhead, the granddaughter...
Screenshot 2025-06-13 194001
Wild Elephant Disrupts Riverside Picnic, Sparks Debate on Human Encroachment; IFS Parveen Kumar Shares the Video - Watch Here!
Mr. Kaswan used the viral video, which has garnered over 1.5 lakh views, to highlight the risks of human...
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Latest
UPSC IAS IPS IFS
UPSC Declares Final Results of Combined Section Officers’ (Grade ‘B’) LDCE 2024, 303 Candidates Selected for CSS
nmdc resized
Steel Industry Relief: NMDC Slashes Iron Ore Prices by Up to Rs600 per Tonne Amid Weak Market Demand
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
Inderjit Singh Air India
Ex IRS C Rajendiran
WhatsApp Image 2025-06-25 at 5.07
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT