The Ministry
of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has initiated the project
“Awareness Programme on Environmental Hazards of Electronic waste” on March 31,
2015. This project by the Government of
India is an initiative to create awareness on how the electronic waste has
consequences on human health and the environment. This project is under the
‘Digital India’ initiative of the Government of India. Not many have been aware
of such an awareness programme. On researching exclusively about electronic
waste, I came across this programme and I was elated to learn the initiative
taken by the Government of India in terms of electronic waste. My quest to
learn more about the initiative made me go through the Government website
greene.gov.in
There is a
need for such initiatives by the Government so that the people are acquainted with
the dangerous consequences of electronic waste. The primary focus of the
project is to create awareness among different stakeholders in order to reduce
the adverse impact on environment and health due to improper disposal of
e-waste. The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has
played a key role in dissemination of knowledge on e-waste rules. The awareness
programme was conducted in many schools and the response received from the
students has been phenomenon.
Expected outcomes
of the awareness programme as per the official website are as follows:
• The said
project is under Digital India campaign, and it will impact the overall growth
of the country as it conserves natural resources. Recycling recovers valuable
materials from old electronics that can be used to make new products. As a
result, we save energy, reduce pollution, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and
save resources by extracting fewer raw materials from the earth.
• Recycling
will create jobs for professional recyclers and refurbishers and create new
markets for the valuable components that are dismantled.
• The project
will also take care of the responsibilities of the producers that they must
inculcate the Principle of EPR (Extended Producer Responsibility) and follow
the mechanism for channelization of e-waste to registered dismantler or
recyclers.
• The programme
will make sure that the responsibilities of other stakeholders are also met for
effective implementation of the e-waste management rules, 2016.
• The
programme will also work upon the awareness on reduction in the use of
hazardous materials in the manufacture of electrical and electronic equipment
and their components. The Awareness Programme has undertaken activities that
include organizing awareness workshops for RWAs/Localities, Schools, Colleges,
Bulk Consumers (including corporate & Govt. sectors), Informal Sector,
Dealers, Refurbishes, Manufacturers, etc. so as to build capacities of the
target groups to channelize e-waste in a manner that the rules are effectively
implemented.
Suitable
course curriculum would also be framed for schools/colleges. Effort would be
made to prepare the content in local language. This project also stresses on
adopting best practices for e-waste recycling available globally, so that the
unorganized sector can generate jobs as well as viable business prospects
thereby mitigating the impact of improper recycling on the environment. The
project also emphasizes on the responsibilities of the producers and conveys
the message that they must inculcate the principle of Extended Producer
Responsibility (EPR) and follow the mechanism for channelization of e-waste
from ‘end of life’ products to registered dismantlers or recyclers.
This
excellent initiative by the Government needs to reach far and wide and it is we
as citizens of India can make many of the people aware about such awareness
programme. This is a very good initiative by the Government of India. We as
citizens have our part to play along with the Government to contribute towards
our fellow human beings. The plan of ‘Digital India’ can only be successful if the
balance between the consumption of technology and the disposal of such
technology is well maintained.
If the rate
of disposal exceeds the consumption level before the shelf life of the product
ends, there will be huge electronic waste piled up resulting into the natural
beauty of India being affected. There are various centres that have the
facility of collecting the electronic waste and one good example is Croma,
Samsung etc. These companies collect the electronic scrap and send the scrap in
bulk to the agencies that recycle such scrap materials. While many of the
consumers prefer exchanging their scrap or giving it to the needy so that it
can be reused, there are some who would discard them along with the domestic
waste causing more harm to the society.
Instead of
discarding it along with the domestic waste, it can be handed over to the
various agencies and almost all of the big brands gather the electronic waste
that is handed over to them and send it for recycling in bulk. The awareness
programme by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) is
just the beginning and there are many more miles to go in-order to fight the problem of e-waste in the society.
Sharing
various articles, texts and forwards that you receive on electronic waste will
help in creating awareness on this topic. We can endeavour to reduce the
adverse effect of the polluting technologies on the environment and health.
Environment friendly management of e-waste can make a drastic change and lead
us towards sustainable development of resources. It is not just the planning
and awareness which is important but it is also required that such plans are
executed and implemented at the right time and in a right manner. Execution
plays a vital role when it comes to planning.
Though electronic
waste is a huge challenge today but our efforts can help us tackle this
challenge. One of the biggest challenges that we face is the fact that
electronic waste is the fastest growing waste in our society and the execution
and implementation too cannot be prolonged or delayed. We need to be quick and
spontaneous in responding to this issue which is on a rise. We can be
determined to create awareness and see the change that is required while
tackling the electronic waste issue. This is the need of the hour.
