Latest Society Report: PiB Updates (06-06-2025)

The Union Minister for Environment recently emphasized the need for collective behavioural change to address plastic pollution and the importance of adopting Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) guidelines and Mission LiFE principles to reduce the use of virgin resources.

During a press conference, the Minister highlighted the launch of the Ayush Nivesh Saarthi Portal, a digital platform aimed at promoting investment and entrepreneurship in India's traditional medicine and wellness sector. The portal, created by the Ministry of Ayush in partnership with Invest India, serves as an investor-centric, transparent, and interactive hub offering policy details, incentives, and investment-ready projects in the Ayush ecosystem.

The Minister also stressed the role of innovation and technology in developing eco-friendly alternatives and the need for recycling technologies to promote a circular economy. In this regard, the National Plastic Pollution Reduction Campaign includes targeted initiatives in Tiger Reserves, urban/rural areas, and government offices (under Special Campaign 5.0).

Moreover, the Minister emphasized the importance of greening the Aravalli region and banning plastic carry bags below 120 microns and avoiding single-use plastics. The Minister also underscored the necessity of recycling technologies and linking innovation with business opportunities to promote a circular economy.

The National Plastic Waste Reporting Portal, launched to replace manual, multi-step processes with digitized online reporting, enables data transparency and supports better planning by Urban Local Bodies and District Panchayats. The portal tracks the full plastic waste management ecosystem from collection to disposal, providing valuable data for policymakers, researchers, and stakeholders.

Two key publications were released during the event: "Government Initiatives on Ending Plastic Pollution" and "Compendium on Eco-alternatives to Single Use Plastics". A National Expo on Eco-alternatives was also held, showcasing innovations in eco-alternatives and plastic waste management. Pre-campaign outreach saw 69,000 events with participation of over 21 lakh people nationwide.

The Minister also noted an increase in Delhi's tree cover over the past three years and the Conservation of Natural Resource Sector shows an upward trend. The Agro-Forestry Sector exhibits the lowest expenditure among the three sectors: Agro-Forestry, Conservation of Natural Resources, and Environment Sustainability.

In addition, the Minister highlighted the need for collective state action to address pollution in River Yamuna and the annual mean temperature increased from 25.05°C in 2001 to 25.74°C in 2024. The annual minimum and maximum temperature rose from 19.32°C to 20.24°C and 30.78°C to 31.25°C respectively, during the same period.

India's environmental landscape is also abundant with diverse faunal species. The country has 9,436 freshwater species, 5,023 species in the Indian Mangrove System, 3,383 species in the Estuarine Ecosystem, and a notable 22,404 species in its Soil Ecosystem. Globally, there are 2,47,605 marine faunal species, while India accounts for 20,613.

Inland fish production has increased from 61.36 lakh tonnes to 139.07 lakh tonnes during 2013-14 to 2023-24, possibly indicating inland aquaculture and freshwater fisheries. Thermal power generation has increased from 7,92,053 GWh to 13,26,549 GWh and electricity generation from renewable energy sources has increased from 65520 GWh to 2,25,835 GWh during the same period.

The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI), Government of India, released the 8th issue of the publication titled "EnviStats India 2025: Environment Statistics". This publication serves as a key resource for policymakers, researchers, and stakeholders, offering a comprehensive overview of the country's environmental landscape. Since 2018, the National Statistics Office (NSO) has been publishing "EnviStats India" in alignment with the Framework for the Development of Environment Statistics (FDES) 2013.

In summary, the Union Minister for Environment's initiatives and actions highlight the government's commitment to addressing environmental challenges while promoting sustainable development and innovation in various sectors. The Ayush Nivesh Saarthi Portal, the National Plastic Waste Reporting Portal, and the National Plastic Pollution Reduction Campaign are significant steps towards achieving these goals.