Alternatives to single-use plastic: Delhi government to urge Centre to reduce GST rates on raw materials

New Delhi: Environment minister Gopal Rai on Sunday said the Delhi government will request the Centre to reduce GST on raw materials for production of alternatives to single-use plastic items. The minister, who chaired a roundtable with stakeholders to discuss SUP alternatives, said there is a lot of confusion among public and even some government agencies regarding the items covered under the ban. “We will conduct a training session for our enforcement teams so that there is no confusion while implementing the ban,” he said. The government will also issue a helpline number to register complaints if action is taken for using products that are not banned, Rai said. After some stakeholders drew the minister’s attention towards high GST rates on raw material for green alternatives, Rai said the city government will write to the Centre on the issue. The Delhi government will request Centre to reduce GST rates on raw material to manufacture alternatives to single-use plastics, he said. Rai also said people think a ban on SUP items mean a ban on plastic carry bags and that is why there is an urgent need to create awareness among public. The Delhi government is also working on a website which will contain all information related to banned SUP items, their alternatives and sources of raw material to manufacture alternatives. Rai had on Friday said the city government will issue warning notices to units found violating the ban on 19 SUP items till 10 July and punitive action will be taken thereafter against repeat offenders. The action will include a fine of up to Rs 1 lakh or a jail term of up to five years or both under the Environment Protection Act, 1986, he had said. However, the government will give top priority to creating awareness against the use of SUP items and providing their alternatives to people, the minister had said. Read all the Latest News , Trending News ,  Cricket News , Bollywood News , India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.