Lok Sabha Question No. 4914 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-03-23
Subject: Circular Economy
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: Shri Bastipati Nagaraju, Shri B K Parthasarathi

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4914

TO BE ANSWERED ON 23.03.2026

## Circular Economy

## 4914. SHRI B K PARTHASARATHI: SHRI BASTIPATI NAGARAJU:

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

- (a) the details of number of jobs generated through circular economy initiatives in the country, State/UT-wise;
- (b) the details of steps taken by the Government to promote the circular economy in the country, including policy frameworks, incentive schemes, regulatory reforms and technology adoption;
- (c)  the  details  of  States  which  have  adopted  circular  economy  policies  and  aligned  their regulations accordingly;
- (d)  the  amount  of  financial  assistance  or  grants  sanctioned  and  released  by  the  Central Government to support these States' policies; and
- (e) whether the Government plans to institute a central monitoring and evaluation mechanism for circular economy job creation and policy alignment and if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

MINISTER  OF  STATE  IN  THE  MINISTRY  OF  ENVIRONMENT,  FOREST  AND CLIMATE CHANGE (SHRI KIRTI VARDHAN SINGH)

(a)  to  (e).  Under  the  Circular  Economy  framework,  Waste  Management  Rules  have  been notified for different waste categories such as plastic waste, battery waste, e-waste, waste tyre, used oil, end-of-life vehicles, construction and demolition waste, non-ferrous scrap metal and Solid Waste.

The detail of Waste Management Rules linked to the circular economy is as follows

- i. Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) for Waste Tyre, 2022 on 21.07.2022.
- ii. Battery Waste Management Rules, 2022 on 22.08.2022 and its amendments dated 25.10.2023 and 14.03.2024.
- iii.  E-Waste  (Management)  Rules,  2022  on  02.11.2022  and  its  amendments dated 30.01.2023   and 24.07.2023.
- iv. Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016 amended on 27.04.2023 for effective implementation of EPR guidelines.
- v. Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) for Used Oil on 18.09.2023.
- vi. EPR Framework for Environment Protection (End-of-Life Vehicles) Rules, 2025 on 06.01.2025.
- vii.  Environment  (Construction  and  Demolition)  Waste  Management  Rules, 2025 on 02.04.2025

viii.  Extended  Producer  Responsibility  for  Scrap  of  Non-Ferrous  Metals  on 01.07.2025

MoEF&CC  has  notified  market  based  Extended  Producer  Responsibility  (EPR) framework under the waste management rules with provisions for recycling and reuse, thus promoting circular economy in respective waste categories.

As per the EPR framework, the producer, importer or brand owner (PIBOs)/ Original Equipment  Manufacturers  (OEMs)  who  introduces  the  product  in  the  market  are obligated for its environmentally sound management after end-of-life of such products. Along with the EPR targets, EPR framework also imposes mandatory annual targets for recycling and/ or use of recycled content. To promote ease of doing business, online EPR portals with features for registration, EPR obligations, EPR Certificate generation etc. have been developed and are operational for plastic packaging, e- waste, battery waste, waste tyre and used oil waste.

Under  the  EPR  mechanism,  the  provision  of  transfer  of  EPR  certificates  provides financial incentives to recyclers, encouraging capacity expansion, technological upgradation and increased recycling activities, which collectively contribute to generation of jobs across the entire value chain of the recycling sector. Further, the EPR mechanism facilitates formalization of the recycling sector by integrating the informal recycling sector into organized systems. Status of implementation of EPR frameworks (as on 05.03.2026) is as follows:

| Type of Waste   | No. of Registered recyclers   | Waste recycled (MT)   | EPR Certificate Generated (MT)   |
|-----------------|-------------------------------|-----------------------|----------------------------------|
| Plastic Waste   | 2986                          | 196.97 lakh           | 196.97 Lakh                      |
| Battery Waste   | 520                           | 69.37 Lakh            | 16.14 Lakh                       |
| Tyre Waste      | 579                           | 122.29 Lakh           | 116.94 Lakh                      |
| E-Waste         | 386                           | 28.75 Lakh            | 11.86 Lakh                       |
| Used Oil        | 103                           | 0.19 Lakh             | 0.02 Lakh                        |
| Total           | 4,574                         | 417.57 LakhMT         | 341.93 LakhMT                    |

NITI Aayog launched three Reports on "Enhancing Circular Economy in End-of-Life Vehicles  (ELVs),  Waste  Tyres  and  E-waste  and  Lithium-ion  Batteries  in  India"  in January, 2026.  These reports provide recommendations for infrastructure development, sector formalisation, strengthening the Extended Producer Responsibility  (EPR) framework, and enhancing economic potential for revenue generation.

The 4 th  National Conference of Chief Secretaries (NCCS) held in New Delhi on 13-15 December 2024 had 'Circular Economy' as one of the sub-themes. The Conference was attended by all the State/UTs and aimed at institutional orientation of all States/UTs for transition to circular economy.

States including Bihar, Odisha, Arunachal Pradesh, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Meghalaya, Chhattisgarh have specific provisions for promotion of  circular  economy  in  their  Industrial  Policy  Resolution.  States  have  also  launched capital subsidy schemes as well as investment promotion incentive schemes to promote recycling and waste processing industries.

Other initiatives of the government for mainstreaming circular economy are as follows:

- i. Under the National Critical Mineral Mission (NCMM) of Ministry of Mines, launched on 2 nd  October, 2025, the Government has approved Rs. 1,500 crore incentive  scheme  for  critical  mineral  recycling.  The  Scheme  incentivizes creation of recycling capacity for the extraction of critical minerals, including lithium, nickel and cobalt, from used products like Spent Lithium- ion batteries (LiBs)  and  e-waste  to  build  supply  chain  resilience  and  reduce  import dependence in critical minerals
- ii. Ministry of  Electronics  and  Information  Technology  has  taken  initiative  to create a complete eco-system to upgrade informal sector into formal value chain through  a  project  on  'Informal  Sector  Capacity  Building  Upgradation  with formation of recycling clusters under MSME scheme and Enabling Technology for Recovery of Resources from Electronic Waste thereby Promoting Resource Efficiency and Circular Economy'.
- iii. MoEF&CC  has  facilitated  the  signing  of  Memorandum  of  Understanding between CSIR laboratories and recycler organisations on 10 th  December, 2024, to facilitate technology transfer and technical support to establish state-of-theart recycling infrastructure and support domestic waste recycling.
- iv. Mission LiFE (Lifestyle for Environment), which is a citizen-led initiative that focuses  on  inspiring  and  enabling  individuals  to  adopt  sustainable  lifestyles through  day-to-day voluntary actions, addresses areas closely linked to circularity,  including  conservation  of  energy  and  water,  waste  reduction  and segregation,  e-waste  management,  reduced  use  of  single-use  plastics,  and sustainable food systems. MoEF&CC in collaboration with various stakeholders including Line Ministries, State/UT governments has undertaken several mass mobilisation campaigns and awareness initiatives aligned with the principles of Circular Economy.
- v. The Central Government has formulated the Voluntary Vehicle-Fleet Modernization Program (V-VMP) that inter-alia targets scrapping of unfit and polluting  vehicles  strictly  based  on  their  fitness,  and  promotes  setting  up  of Registered Vehicle Scrapping Facilities, which is primarily focused towards the scrapping  of  unfit  vehicles  through  automated  equipment  and  its  scientific recycling.
- vi. The  Central  Government  also  provides  incentives  to  States/UTs  under  the Scheme for Special Assistance to States for Capital Investment (SASCI) 202526. Rs. 2,000 crore has been earmarked under the Scheme to promote scrapping of  vehicles  at  Registered  Vehicle  Scrapping  Facilities  (RVSFs)  and  related implementation  measures  under  the  Voluntary  Vehicle-Fleet  Modernization Program.

*****