Source: Monthly Policy Review of PRS
The draft policy was released by the Ministry for Environment, Forest and Climate Change for public comments. The Policy notes that the material consumption in India has increased by six times from 1.2 billion tonnes in 1970 to 7 billion tonnes in 2015. It is expected to double by 2030, in view of rapid urbanisation, increasing population, and growing economic development. These are expected to lead to serious resource depletion and environmental degradation.
Key features of the policy
- The Policy seeks to enable efficient use of natural resources and promote upcycling of wastes across all sectors of the economy.
- Scope: The Policy aims to implement resource efficiency for all resources (e.g. air, water) and materials across all its life cycles including the stages of raw material extraction, processing, and production.
- The guiding principles of the policy: The Policy is guided by the principles of;
- Reduction in primary resource consumption to sustainable levels
- Creation of higher value through resource efficient approaches.
- Waste minimisation.
- Ensuring security of material supply, and
- Creation of employment opportunities and business models beneficial to the environment.
- Authorities and Boards proposed by the policy: The Policy provides for the establishment of a National Resource Efficiency Authority (NREA) to oversee, administer and review implementation of the Policy. Respective state governments and ministries will be responsible for developing and implementing resource efficiency strategies. An inter-ministerial National Resource Efficiency Board will be established to provide guidance on critical aspects of implementation.
- Targets and Action Plans: The Policy aims to achieve India’s commitments under the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030. The SDGs consist of 12 goals including doubling the rate of global rate of improvement in energy efficiency by 2030, and ensuring sustainable food production systems.
- Three year action plan by NREA:The Policy states that the NREA will prepare a three-year action plan, in consultation with the concerned ministries, state governments, and stakeholders. Resource efficiency strategies will be developed that will lay out sector/region specific scope, targets, timelines, and action plans. NREA will adopt these strategies into the three year action plans for implementation. The first Action Plan has been prepared for 2019-22
