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Time of India
04-06-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Continuously taking steps to promote use of eco-alternatives to single-use plastic items, India stands committed to ambitious climate action: Bhupender Yadav
NEW DELHI: Union environment minister Bhupender Yadav in an interview to TOIresponded to certain questions on critical environmental issues including plastic waste, India's stand on developing an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, implication of the Supreme Court 's recent order of striking down retrospective environmental clearances and the country's plan to update its climate action pledges ahead of the 30th session of the UN climate change conference (COP30) in Brazil later this year. Excerpts: What are the steps being taken on policy fronts to deal with hazardous plastic waste? What more can be done beyond banning select single-use plastic (SUP) items, increasing the thickness of plastic carry bags, and notifying extended producer responsibility (EPR) to achieve the desired results on the ground? Prime Minister Narendra Modi has made it clear that India is determined to reduce single-use plastic and micro-plastic pollution for sustainable development. In order to address the plastic pollution caused by unmanaged and littered plastic waste, the government focuses on two key pillars: banning identified SUP items with low utility and high littering potential, and effective implementation of EPR on plastic packaging. Ban has already been imposed on identified SUP items since July 1, 2022. The 'whole of government' and 'whole of society' approach adopted for implementation of the ban has led to development of innovative eco-alternatives to banned SUP items and development of new business models. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Rombies-et-marchipont: À 29€/mois, cette mutuelle senior assure une protection totale Prio Santé En savoir plus Undo The ministry is continuously taking steps to promote the use of eco-alternatives. State governments and local bodies have been asked to incentivise the manufacture of eco-alternatives. A compendium of manufacturers and sellers of eco-alternatives has been prepared for wider use by citizens. It is a comprehensive document providing detailed information on manufacturing capacities of eco-alternatives and their availability across the country. Local bodies across the country are being encouraged to set up eco-alternatives stores. The mandate for the use of recycled content in plastic packaging has come into force from April 1. This has played a transformative role in moving towards super clean recycling technologies in plastic packaging waste recycling. More than 130 lakh tonnes of plastic packaging waste have already been processed since 2022. The implementation of SUP ban coupled with extended producer responsibility on plastic packaging will lead to a reduction in pollution caused by littered and unmanaged plastic waste. What is an obstacle before developing an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution? What is India's stand in this context? India believes that the success of negotiations at the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) mandated to develop a legally binding international instrument on plastic pollution requires consensus-based decision-making with a spirit of mutual trust and cooperation for reaching an agreement on various provisions. We believe that in order to reach agreement the instrument should focus on aspects related to plastic pollution only. Aspects which are not directly related to plastic pollution should not be taken up. We need to strike a critical balance between preventing plastic pollution without affecting the right to sustainable development of developing countries, keeping in view their respective national circumstances. As developed countries have higher per capita generation of plastic waste and have historical responsibility, they need to provide financial and technical assistance by setting up a stand-alone multilateral fund which provides incremental cost for transition to developing countries for meeting compliance obligations. What is India's plan on updating the country's climate action pledges (Nationally Determined Contribution) and its submission to the UN body? At the outset, I would like to highlight that there are 195 countries, which are party to the Paris Agreement. As per information, 171 countries have not submitted their successive NDCs. This is due to a combination of factors, including capacity constraints in developing countries, need for extensive modelling and studies, and careful consideration of the national circumstances and development needs. A pragmatic approach and careful consideration of national circumstance and development priorities is essential for development of necessary policies to enable ambitious NDCs. For this purpose, the government has initiated a series of studies. The nature of goals under India's successive NDC will be based on outcomes and subsequent consultations thereon. However, it should be noted that the Paris Agreement casts an obligation on the developed nations to take lead by undertaking economy-wide absolute emission reduction targets. The need of the hour is ambitious climate action. For this purpose, the government stands committed and it has been initiating and implementing many schemes and programmes to scale up India's action on both the adaptation and mitigation across many sectors including water, agriculture, forest, energy and enterprise, sustainability mobility and housing, waste management, circular economy, and resource efficiency, etc. What would be the impact of the recent Supreme Court decision of striking down retrospective environmental clearances, specifically the 2017 notification and the 2021 Office Memorandum (OM) that allowed post-facto clearances for projects that began without prior approval? What were the ministry's objectives behind the notification and OM? The EIA Notification 1994 and 2006 provided that any new project or activity or expansion/modernization of any activity, covered in its schedule, shall not be undertaken unless it has been accorded prior environmental clearance. However, in practice certain projects, which are otherwise eligible to get Environmental Clearance (EC) under the EIA notification, commenced their projects or activities without prior EC and thus did not get formal EC for their project. A need was felt to bring such projects under the EC compliance mechanism. Initially, a Notification was issued in 2017 and later, in compliance with the directions of NGT in this regard, an OM was issued in 2021. The Supreme Court had on May 16 directed that ECs granted as on date of the order, under the above mentioned notification and OM, shall not be affected. However, no further ECs can be granted under the provisions of the 2017 notification and 2021 OM. India has decided to speed up pending and proposed projects (hydro-power, irrigation canals, and others) in the Indus River Basin in Jammu & Kashmir after keeping the Indus Water Treaty in abeyance following the Pahalgam terrorist attack. But many of these projects need environmental and other relevant green clearances. Will the ministry fast-track the clearance process to achieve the country's objective of completing the projects without further losing precious time? The Modigovernment follows 'whole of the government approach' in addressing various issues. The ministry will ensure that all the green clearances/regulatory approvals for these strategic projects are granted expeditiously, while ensuring appropriate scientific rigour in the appraisal process.
Hans India
01-06-2025
- Business
- Hans India
The Third Eye: ‘Panchatantra' of Business Management
New Delhi: Of the five basic principles governing business management, the first flows from the reality that all business is 'human' activity as it is an operation 'by the people and for the people'. Various facets of business-promotion of a 'product' or 'service', the role of an investment banker or a regulator and customer outreach- all involve human interaction and even the 'return on investment' or 'profit and loss' worked for individuals who owned the business and the shareholders who had stakes in the corporate entity. Business depends a great deal on the concept of 'productivity' leading to 'profitability' and this is connected with the 'efficiency' of individual employees. Efficiency was, by definition, a measure of the 'output per unit of time' and was, therefore, a test of the ability of the organisational leadership to produce a stress-free work environment that enabled the members to work with a greater concentration of mind-'concentration' being a prime determinant of the time-output ratio. Business seeks customer loyalty by enhancing its 'brand' appeal, offering incentives and utilising the feedback from the people who came in contact with it at any point of time. Any business is, in the ultimate analysis, run by a set of individuals who make decisions for it. The operation of human factors in business is manifested also in its constant endeavour to find innovative ways of reaching out to potential customers through personalised communications based on the analysis of data on their buying preferences. In the highly competitive environment of these times, the advantage of a business entity is largely determined by the extent to which it can reach out to potential customers with a special appeal and retain the loyalty of its existing circle of buyers. The second principle of management that must be followed by any business is that knowledge-based decision-making is the 'anchor of success' there and that the relevance and reliability of the information used for it would largely decide if the right pitch had been laid for achieving the organisational goal. A couple of guidelines about accessing information would be helpful. Since most information is publicly shared no sooner than it was produced, giving rise to large data banks-thanks to the Information Technology Revolution- the importance of 'data analytics' for producing futuristic readings, had sharply increased. A certain 'completeness' of information was desirable since 'knowledge comes in integral packages' -an employer with a large work force of men and women, for instance, had to have knowledge of the laws relating to gender harassment at the workplace. Also, since businesses had to have coverage of a large number of knowledge points ranging from government policies to socio-cultural trends of the times and since all competitors by and large had access to same information in the present, advantage would come to those who could have 'a peep into what lay ahead'. This is what Intelligence provides making it clear that 'all Intelligence is information but all information was not Intelligence'. Business Intelligence gives an idea of the opportunities and risks in the future and by availing of the former and averting the latter, a player could secure a competitive edge. Corporates invest substantially in establishing an internal unit for producing insights through 'data analytics' and using Artificial Intelligence and 'Machine Learning' for enhancing productivity and evolving new products and services. It can be safely predicted that the Age of Information was transiting to the Age of Intelligence' setting a new benchmark for global competition. It may be mentioned that the use of cyberspace and social media for 'misinformation' and resort to 'deepfakes' has added a great deal to the importance of the reliability of data being used for business purposes. The third guideline of management relates to the changed character of the business organisation, itself. In the era of the 'knowledge economy' the traditional concept of an 'organisation' that had a hierarchy of leadership, a one-way flow of orders 'from above' and a marked divide between those who took decisions and the compliers who constituted the bulk of the pyramid, has changed. The output of individual employees- important as it was- has been overtaken by the team performance with the result that the organisation could be deemed to be an 'assembly of teams' carrying out various functions and that the role of the Chief Executive Officer was now better defined as the person at the apex who accepted accountability for internal coordination among the teams, general oversight on productivity and liaison with external authorities. While constituting teams it had to be remembered that 'diversity' could be a source of strength, that the team leader and members should act as one without getting distracted by concerns of credit-sharing and that the team had to be enthusiastic enough about 'beating the dead line' rather than just meeting it. A successful organisation is known for three things- that there was a clear understanding across all its members, of the Mission of the collective body, that the boss-subordinate relationship was 'nurtural' in the sense that the senior was free to 'task' the junior but was available for providing guidance to the latter when asked for and finally that its management was ethical in the sense that it believed in merit-based evaluations and placed emphasis on the integrity of its employees. Fourthly, business 'leadership' has a new mandate in the Age of Information in regard to the responsibilities for the organisation, the employees and the productivity. Today's leaders have to be information savvy- actively seeking the information they wanted and believing in the dictum that 'information does not reach you, you have to reach the information'. They were adept at devising a system by which whatever information existed within the organisation was mopped up and utilised along with the data built by the 'business intelligence' unit. The head of the organisation should understand that ' nobody knows everything but everybody knows something'. He or she should look upon a worker as a centre of productivity and see to it that the employees are provided with a work- culture where there is transparency about judging somebody's performance, interpersonal relations measured up to the framework of ethics and the mission of the organisation was understood by all. Since all business is human activity, success there was rooted in the ability of the leadership to handle human relations. Anybody in a leadership position must be willing to interact with people, must have an interest in human psychology and behaviour and must be empathetic towards the employees that will be possible only if the leader has a certain degree of 'emotional intelligence'. Among the recognised traits of leadership especially important are its trustworthiness, decisiveness and impartiality. A leader derives strength from the 'power of authenticity' rooted in these attributes and shows mental strength in a situation of organisational contingency. The leader can 'ride a change' and not be subdued by it. In the era of Artificial Intelligence, the leadership can get the best out of it by remembering the words of Albert Einstein that 'imagination is more important than knowledge' and appreciating the fact that imagination was a gift granted to the human mind not available to machines. A person with imagination does not miss the wood for the tree. Finally, of all the principles of management, it is the quality and adequacy of communication within the organisation that has now emerged as the most important factor determining the prospects of its success. 'Digitisation' facilitating 'work from home' that featured supervision from the remote, online meetings in which in-person interaction across the table was highly structured and not spontaneous enough and increasing utilisation of AI-guided 'writing assistants' in business operations, have all made the communication style of seniors a crucial ingredient of this success. Communication is unambiguous, precise and purposeful and it should be in line with the 'need to know' mandate that was the hallmark of data security. In fact, the cyber security issues have enhanced the importance of establishing a 'System Administrator' in compliance with the legal requirement. This is a direct responsibility of the head of the enterprise. Personal interactions at the workplace between seniors and juniors or among peers may have to be guided by the organisational ethics governing communications, as laid down by the leadership of the corporate body. The success of a business enterprise is highly dependent on the quality of communication its leaders and representatives have with clients, customers and the general public.
India Gazette
15-05-2025
- Politics
- India Gazette
J-K: Encounter still ongoing in Awantipora, says Kashmir IGP; identities of 3 killed terrorists being ascertained
Srinagar (Jammu and Kashmir) [India], May 15 (ANI): The encounter between security forces and terrorists in the Nader, Tral area of Jammu and Kashmir's Awantipora is still ongoing, Inspector General of Police (Kashmir Zone) Vidhi Kumar Birdi confirmed on Thursday, following a fierce exchange of fire that left three terrorists dead. IGP Birdi said, 'Security forces got specific information regarding the movement of terrorists in that area (Nader, Tral, Awantipora). Accordingly, a cordon was laid, and it led to an encounter between security forces and the hold-up of terrorists. So far, we have observed three bodies of terrorists. The operation is still ongoing.' He added that the identities and affiliations of the terrorists have not been ascertained yet. 'Identities and affiliations could only be divulged after it concludes.... This (encounter) is part of an all-out effort to decimate that terror ecosystem. It is the swift resolve of the security forces to neutralise them so that things are kept under control,' he added. Meanwhile, in a separate post on X, the Kashmir Zone Police said that efforts are underway to confirm the identity and affiliation of the three terrorists killed, as the search operation continues. Kashmir Zone Police said, 'Three #terrorists have been neutralised in the Tral #encounter. Identification & affiliation being ascertained. Search operation in progress. Further details shall follow.' On being asked if the terrorists involved in the encounter had a hand in the Pahalgam terror attack, the Kashmir IGP also noted, 'The operation is yet to conclude. We will divulge the identity and affiliation (of the terrorists) only after that.' Earlier on Thursday, the Indian army confirmed that three terrorists were killed in an encounter with security forces in the Nader area. The Chinar Corps of the Indian Army shared a post on X, 'Three hardcore terrorists have been eliminated in the ongoing Operation at Nader, Awantipora. Identity of terrorists is being ascertained.' On the basis of special intelligence input, a joint operation was launched by Indian Army, Jammu and Kashmir police and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) in the Nader area of J-K's Tral in Awantipora in the morning hours of Thursday. Suspicious activity was observed by the troops and on being challenged, the terrorists opened heavy fire on the forces and a fierce gunfight ensued. The Chinar Corps of the Indian Army earlier today shared a post on their official 'X' handle and informed about the 'Operation Nader'.'On 15 May 2025, based on specific intelligence input from Int agency, a Cordon & Search Operation was launched by Indian Army, Jammu and Kashmir Police and CRPF at Nader, Tral, Awantipora. Suspicious activity was observed by vigilant troops and on being challenged, terrorists opened heavy fire and fierce gunfight ensued. Operation is in progress', the 'X' post read. Following the Pahalgam terror attack in which 26 people, including a Nepali national, were killed, the Indian forces have intensified their operation against terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir. In retaliation for the terror attack, India launched Operation Sindoor in which precision strikes destroyed terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu Kashmir (PoJK) and eliminated nearly 100 terror operatives at key bases in Pakistan. Among the targets were Bhawalpur, the headquarters of Jaish, and Muridke, a key training base of Lashkar. (ANI)
India Gazette
15-05-2025
- India Gazette
J-K: Three terrorists killed in Awantipora under Operation Nader
Awantipora (Jammu and Kashmir) [India], May 15 (ANI): Three terrorists were killed in an encounter with security forces in the Nader area of Jammu and Kashmir's Awantipora, the Indian Army said on Thursday, adding that the identity of the terrorists is being ascertained. The Chinar Corps shared a post on their official 'X' handle stating, 'Three hardcore terrorists have been eliminated in the ongoing Operation at Nader, Awantipora. Identity of terrorists is being ascertained', the 'X' post read. On the basis of special intelligence input, a joint operation was launched by Indian Army, Jammu and Kashmir police and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) in the Nader area of J-K's Tral in Awantipora in the morning hours of Thursday. Suspicious activity was observed by the troops and on being challenged, the terrorists opened heavy fire on the forces and a fierce gunfight ensued. The Chinar Corps of the Indian Army earlier today shared a post on their official 'X' handle and informed about the 'Operation Nader'. 'On 15 May 2025, based on specific intelligence input from Int agency, a Cordon & Search Operation was launched by Indian Army, Jammu and Kashmir Police and CRPF at Nader, Tral, Awantipora. Suspicious activity was observed by vigilant troops and on being challenged, terrorists opened heavy fire and fierce gunfight ensued. Operation is in progress', the 'X' post read. Following the Pahalgam terror attack, the Indian forces have intensified their operation against terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir. On Tuesday, the Indian Army, in a joint operation with the Jammu and Kashmir Police and the Central Reserve Police Force, neutralised three terrorists, including the local commander of Lashkar-e-Taiba/The Resistance Front (LeT/TRF), after an encounter. During the operation the security forces recovered AK series rifles, a large quantity of ammunition, grenades, and other war-like stores. In a post on X, the Indian Army's Additional Directorate General of Public Information (ADG PI) said, 'Based on inputs from intelligence agencies about the presence of terrorists in the Keller Forest of #Shopian District, Jammu & Kashmir, a joint operation was launched by #IndianArmy, @ Jmukmrpolice, and CRPF on 13 May 2025, resulting in the neutralisation of three hardcore terrorists, including the local commander of LeT/TRF, after an intense encounter. The operation comes on the heels of India achieving stupendous success in Operation Sindoor, where precision strikes destroyed terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) and eliminated nearly 100 terror operatives at key bases in Pakistan. Among the targets were Bhawalpur, the headquarters of Jaish, and Muridke, a key training base of Lashkar. Notably, the Resistance Front (TRF) group actively involved in the insurgency in Jammu and Kashmir and is designated as a terrorist organisation in India. The outfit is believed to be a part of Lashkar-e-Taiba, a Pakistan-based UN-designated terrorist group. The TRF has claimed responsibility for the Pahalgam terror attack, in which 26 people were killed. (ANI)
India Gazette
15-05-2025
- Politics
- India Gazette
Indian forces launch Operation Nader against terrorists in Tral, heavy firing exchanged
Awantipora (Jammu and Kashmir) [India], May 15 (ANI): On the basis of special intelligence input, a joint operation was launched by Indian Army, Jammu and Kashmir police and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) in the Nader area of J-K's Tral in Awantipora in the morning hours of Thursday. Suspicious activity was observed by the troops and on being challenged, the terrorists opened heavy fire on the forces. A fierce gunfight was ensued, and the operation is still underway. The Chinar Corps of the Indian Army shared a post on their official 'X' handle and informed about the 'Operation Nader'. 'On 15 May 2025, based on specific intelligence input from Int agency, a Cordon & Search Operation was launched by Indian Army, Jammu and Kashmir Police and CRPF at Nader, Tral, Awantipora. Suspicious activity was observed by vigilant troops and on being challenged, terrorists opened heavy fire and fierce gunfight ensued. Operation is in progress', the 'X' post read. Meanwhile, following the Pahalgam terror attack, the Indian forces have intensified their operation against terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir. On Tuesday, the Indian Army, in a joint operation with the Jammu and Kashmir Police and the Central Reserve Police Force, neutralised three terrorists, including the local commander of Lashkar-e-Taiba/The Resistance Front (LeT/TRF), after an encounter. During the operation the security forces recovered AK series rifles, a large quantity of ammunition, grenades, and other war-like stores. In a post on X, the Indian Army's Additional Directorate General of Public Information (ADG PI) said, 'Based on inputs from intelligence agencies about the presence of terrorists in the Keller Forest of #Shopian District, Jammu & Kashmir, a joint operation was launched by #IndianArmy, @ Jmukmrpolice, and CRPF on 13 May 2025, resulting in the neutralisation of three hardcore terrorists, including the local commander of LeT/TRF, after an intense encounter. The operation comes on the heels of India achieving stupendous success in Operation Sindoor, where precision strikes destroyed terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) and eliminated nearly 100 terror operatives at key bases in Pakistan. Among the targets were Bhawalpur, the headquarters of Jaish, and Muridke, a key training base of Lashkar. Notably, the Resistance Front (TRF) group actively involved in the insurgency in Jammu and Kashmir and is designated as a terrorist organisation in India. The outfit is believed to be a part of Lashkar-e-Taiba, a Pakistan-based UN-designated terrorist group. The TRF has claimed responsibility for the Pahalgam terror attack, in which 26 people were killed. (ANI)
