At a kick off meeting SAIl Ranchi units joined hands with NASSCOM Foundation, MAIT (Manufacturers Association of Information Technology) and CEAMA (Consumer Electronics Appliances Manufacturers Association) as part of their Swachchhta Abhiyan Mission for providing necessary impetus to the ‘Awareness Program on Environmental Hazards of Electronic Wastes’ here on Monday .
This mission draws its mandate from the 25th NASSCOM anniversary in which PM Narendra Modi declared to sensitize citizens on the proliferating Electronic Wastes under the “Digital India Initiative”. Thereafter Ministry of IT, GOI roped in NASSCOM foundation, MAIT and CEAMA for scaling up a country wide Awareness programme initially in 10 Pilot Districts of Ranchi, Bhubaneswar, Kolkata, Moradabad, Panjim, Patna, Pondicherry, Indore, Guwahati and Imphal.
The meeting today was attended by Shrikant Sinha, CEO of NASSCOM Foundation; AK Paul, GM Incharge of RDCIS, SAIl; Priyanka Porwal of Ministry of IT, GOI and other stake holders.
Speaking on the occasion Sinha alluded the implications of the most ubiquitous electronic appliance ie a mobile charger. The waste of the defective chargers weighs almost Thirty Thousand tonnes a year in the country and one can easily imagine the gigantic volumes of Computers and Peripherals.
Eight different categories of stake holders have been identified by the team which include dissemination and awareness in schools, colleges, informal sectors (like daily market electronic industry), Manufacturers, Refurbishers, Dealers, Bulk Consumers (Govt., PSUs etc.) and RWS(Resident Welfare Associations). This Awareness cum sensitization program has been slated within a time frame of December 15 to March 31, 2017. The impact report of this programme shall be put on table by April, 2017. Thereafter Ministry of Environment and Forest (MOEF), MIT and SPCB (State Pollution Control Board) shall implement safe disposals and gainful extractions.
Chief of Communications, SAIl Ranchi units Ujjwal Bhaskar opined to take this awareness movement also in peripheral villages of Ranchi as a commitment of SAIl’s ongoing Swachchhta Fortnight programme.