Govt. promoting reducing consumption of non-biodegradable plastics, says Ananth Kumar

Union Minister of Chemicals and Fertilizers Ananth Kumar has said that the government is promoting reduction in consumption of non-biodegradable plastics, reusing and recycling of other graded polymers. The government has also initiated awards for Green Technology in plastic processing, to promote environment-friendly attempts in the industry.

A meeting was held on Tuesday with the consultative committee of members of parliament with the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers for discussions on "Petroleum, Chemicals and Petrochemical Investment Regions (PCPIRs)" and Plastic Parks.

In the meeting, Ananth Kumar spoke about challenges of value addition that the sector was facing. An initiative to increase the number of plastic parks from four to 10 was also proposed to the committee members. He also mentioned that there would be an increase in the number of Central Institutes for Plastic Engineering and Technology (CIPET) from 23 to 100, to create additional capacity for skill development in the area.

The minister also responded to queries posed by the Members of Parliament who participated in the meeting.