Vijayawada, June 17 (UNI) In a move to strengthen the waste management system in the state, Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has directed officials to finalise and bring out a new policy on the circular economy within two months.
He instructed that three circular economy parks be established in different regions of the state within a year and called for increased deployment of modern machinery in waste-to-energy plants. The Chief Minister also ordered immediate clearance of legacy waste. He asked for an action plan on waste segregation and recycling to be submitted within 90 days.
The Chief Minister here on Tuesday conducted a review with officials at the Secretariat on circular economy strategies. The discussions focused on wealth creation from waste and the reuse of resources. Proposals from the Material Recycling Association of India regarding the establishment of circular economy parks were also reviewed.
In the first phase, a park spread across 400 acres will be set up in Visakhapatnam, designed to meet international standards. The Chief Minister directed officials to develop a comprehensive plan focusing on 11 sectors identified by the Central Government under the circular economy framework: municipal waste, vehicles, lithium batteries, gypsum, tyres, rubber, electronics, agriculture, industry, and aqua waste.
By October 2 this year, the Chief Minister directed that single-use plastics be completely banned in four major cities, Visakhapatnam, Vijayawada, Tirupati, and Rajahmundry, along with 17 other municipal corporations. He called for increased usage of cloth bags in these areas. Furthermore, 157 Reduce-Reuse-Recycle centers are to be established across 87 urban locations.
Agriculture contributes over 4 million metric tonnes of waste annually, while the livestock, aqua, and poultry sectors together generate 34.7 million metric tonnes. In rural areas, 1,329 metric tonnes of waste are generated daily from 8.8 million households. Officials also presented incentives provided for circular economy initiatives in Rajasthan, Karnataka, and Maharashtra for the Chief Minister's consideration.
Effective implementation of the circular economy model in Andhra Pradesh could boost the state’s Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) by an estimated Rs. 15,000 crore annually. Additionally, it would allow the supply of materials worth Rs. 10,000 crore to the manufacturing sector. This value addition is expected to generate Rs. 3,000 crore annually in GST revenue.
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