Draft National Resource Efficiency Policy Released
Natural resources form the backbone of any economic development. India, as one of the fastest growing economies with GDP at 2.6 trillion USD, has increased its material consumption to six times, from 1.18 billion tonnes (BT) in 1970 to 7 BT in 2015. The material consumption is expected to increase further to provide for an increasing population, rapid urbanization and growing aspirations. Enhancing resource efficiency and promoting the use of secondary raw materials has emerged as a strategy for ensuring that the potential trade-off between growth, resource constraints and environmental well-being can be minimized. Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change released Draft National Resource Efficiency Policy, 2019 on 25.07.2019.
Salient features of Draft National Resource Efficiency Policy (NREP)
The NREP envisions a future with environmentally sustainable and equitable economic growth, resource security, healthy environment (air, water and land), and restored ecosystems with rich ecology and biodiversity.
National Resource Efficiency Authority (NREA)
NREP, 2019, creates a dedicated institution for fostering resource efficiency as ‘National Resource Efficiency Authority (NREA)’ that draws its power from Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, to provide for the regulatory provisions of this policy. NREA will have a collaborative institutional structure with members from line ministries, state governments, government agencies and stakeholders.
National Resource Efficiency Board (NREAB)
An inter-ministerial National Resource Efficiency Board (NREAB) will provide necessary guidance on the aspects critical to the implementation of resource efficiency across all sectors. The process of developing and implementing resource efficiency strategies will inherently be carried out by concerned line ministries and state governments with NREA providing collaborative set-up as well as coordinating actions among ministries and state governments.
Principles:
The Draft NREP is guided by the principles of
- Reduction in primary resource consumption to ‘sustainable’ levels, in keeping with achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and staying within the planetary boundaries,
- Creation of higher value with less material through resource efficient and circular approaches,
- Waste minimization,
- Material security, and creation of employment opportunities and business models beneficial to the cause of environment protection and restoration.
The Draft NREP provides an overarching collaborative framework for resource efficiency across all sectors in the country, covering both biotic and abiotic resources and life cycle stages and aspires for cross-sectoral stakeholder partnerships for the cause of resource efficiency for sustainable development.
NREP, 2019 aims to implement resource efficiency across all resources including both biotic and abiotic resources, sectors and life cycle stages.
NOTE:
- The NREP is available online on Ministry’s website at MOEF Website
- Comments and suggestions in prescribed format will be accepted till 24.09.2019 (Extended)
- Citizens can mail their suggestions to bhawna.singh@gov.in or kaushik.rishi@nic.in with subject Draft National Resource Efficiency Policy 2019 as subject, along with your contact details.
- Format for comment page 2 of Policy document.
