Lok Sabha Question No. 3924 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2018-08-10
Subject: Environmental Hazards of e-Waste
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT,  FORESTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: GOWDAR MALLIKARJUNAPPA SIDDESHWARA

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3924

TO BE ANSWERED ON 10.08.2018

## Environmental Hazards of e-Waste

## 3924. SHRI G.M. SIDDESHWARA:

Will the Minister of ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE be pleased to state:

- (a) the  details  of  the  steps  taken  to  create  awareness  on  environmental  hazards  of electronic waste (e-waste);
- (b) the details of the number of organisations and educational institutes given funds for organising workshops and seminars to create awareness during the last three years, State/UT-wise and year-wise; and
- (c) the  details  of  the  manner  in  which  the  impact  assessment  of  such  workshops  and seminars is done?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER  OF  STATE  IN  THE  MINISTRY  OF  ENVIRONMENT,  FOREST  AND CLIMATE CHANGE (DR. MAHESH SHARMA)

(a) & (b) The Ministry have notified the E-Waste (Management) Rules in March, 2016. As per  provisions  of  these  Rules,  the  responsibility  of  creating  awareness  including  through media,  publications,  advertisements,  posters,  or  by  any  other  mean  of  communication  and product user documents has been imposed on the Producers. The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) in association with Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs  (MoHUA),  has  initiated  a  project  for  conducting  nationwide  Capacity  Building Programme  on  implementation  of  various  Waste  Management  Rules,  including  E-Waste (Management) Rules, 2016. In this regard, Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has been identified  as  National  Implementing  Agency  to  conduct  the  programmes  while  National Productivity Council (NPC) was selected as Programme Coordinator. So far these Capacity Building Programmes have been organized in 23 Cities. Capacity Building Project has been initiated with a budgetary provision of Rs 2.12 Crores granted to CPCB by MoHUA. Out of total  grant,  an  amount  of  1.67  crores  is  allocated  to  National  productivity  Council  for preparation of material for short videos, toolkit material, self  speaking  power  point presentations and other similar training material. In addition, the Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MeitY) has initiated a project entitled 'Awareness Programme on Environmental Hazards of Electronic waste' under Digital India initiatives. The programme aims  to  provide  training,  tools, content  materials,  videos,  printed  materials to create awareness  in  order  to  reduce  the  adverse  impact  on  environment  and  health  due  to  the polluting methods,  used  in  the unorganized  sector  for recycling e-waste.  Under  the programme 425 Workshops and activities had been organised in various cities, nearly 1.23 lakhs  participants  from  School,  colleges,  residents'  welfare  associations,  manufacturer, informal operators etc. and 2273 government officials have participated in various cities. The mass awareness amongst the youth of the country has been also been created through cinema, wherein  nearly  7.6  crore  audience  has  been  covered  in  815  cinema  halls.  The  MeitY  has released Rs. 17.70 crores since March 2015 to Software Technology Parks of India (STPI), New Delhi for implementing awareness programme.

(c) In order to assess the impact of awareness program a city level taskforce was created in each  city  to  guide  and  monitor  the  implementation  of  the  workshops/  activities  by  MeitY. The  feedback  from  the  participants  was  obtained.  As  a  result  of  training  programme conducted  for  Government  departments,  namely,  Goa  Pollution  Control  Board;  Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited,  Imphal; State Pollution  Control  Board,  Imphal; Jawaharlal  Nehru Institute  of  Medical  Science,  Imphal;  Department  of  Health  &  Family  Welfare  Services, Puducherry etc.  have updated/ modified their present trend of handling e-waste.

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