Against single-use plastic, not plastic-free India, says PM Modi

Addressing a gathering after landing in Chennai, where he is scheduled to address Singapore-India Hackathon and preside over the 56th convocation at the Indian Institute of Technology-Madras, Modi sought to clarify the misconception around the Union government's plan to end single-use plastic on 2 October, the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.

"Some people, by mistake, are talking about plastic-free India. I have not said this. I have said that single-use plastic, which comes to use only once, causes a lot of problems," he said.

The Modi-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government has laid great emphasis on eradicating the use of single-use plastic that has become one of the biggest sources of pollution, adding to landfills and adversely impacting the already frail ecological balance.

Though there is still no clarity on the definition of single-use plastic, anything below 50 microns is included in this category, experts say.

Troubles with such single-use plastic, especially in packaged drinking water, condiments and other products, came to the fore during floods in various parts of the country this year. Heaps of plastic were washed ashore, highlighting the lack of awareness and infrastructure to effectively deal with the product.

“On October 2, let us pledge to make the country free of single-use plastic," Modi had said during his speech on Independence Day on 15 August. He also urged startups to come up with ideas to recycle plastics in the country.