The sectors like renewable energy, energy efficiency, sustainable agriculture, environmental conservation, sectors that are addressing environmental concerns and schemes like Smart City Mission and the National Solar Mission have the potential of engaging green skilled workforce.

New products/ services based on repair, refurbishment/ recycling are the new markets which have a wide array of jobs for minimally skilled roles in waste collection,  semi-skilled role in repair, refurbishment/ recycling, and highly skilled roles in design & re-engineering. As per estimate, recycling of every 10,000 tonnes of waste products generates approximately 115 jobs.

The role of State and UTs Govt.(s) is very important for providing improved working conditions and income stability to enhance the contribution of informal sector workers and integration of waste management & recycling sector.  Several State/UT Govt.(s) have equipped/trained Self-Help Groups (SHGs)for waste collection, sorting and transportation, for example: Kerala (Haritha Karma Sena),  Chhattisgarh (Swachhta Didis), Odisha (Women SHGs) & Maharashtra (SwaCh cooperative).

Several skilling/training programs through universities/institutes for skill development  by States/ UTs are going on. There are over 30 Sector Skill Councils (SSC) facilitating need based training programmes. Over 4 lakh candidates have been certified under Skill Council for green jobs, which is one of the SSC.

The Mission LiFE also emphasizes the importance of circular economy principles - reduce, repair, reuse, recycle. The Country’s projected waste generation in years 2030 and 2050 presents a huge opportunity to transform waste from ‘environment bad’ to ‘economic good’. The Government has identified 11 focus areas, namely, solid waste, plastic waste, e-waste, battery waste, liquid waste, used oil, waste tyre, end-of-life vehicles waste, metal scrap, construction & demolition waste and hazardous waste for promoting circular economy. The circular economy has the potential to create additional 33 lakh employment, adding to the current 50 lakh, in a wide range of roles for diverse skill sets. There is a significant progress in skilling/training and also there is need to address challenges like infrastructure, investment, technology, skills& informal sector integration.

To implement Circular Economy, MoEF&CC has notified regulations on market based Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) in respect of plastic packaging waste, battery waste, e-waste, waste tyres, used oil, end-of-life vehicles, construction & demolition waste and non-ferrous metal scrap.

Implementation of EPR framework creates a sustainable ecosystem for environmentally sound management of wastes which provides additional revenues and promotes integration of informal recycling sector into formal sector, along with recovery of resources from waste.  Promotion of recycling eco-system under EPR framework provides opportunities for creation of lakhs of green jobs.

This information was provided by UNION MINISTER OF STATE FOR ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE, SHRI KIRTI VARDHAN SINGH, in a written reply to a question in Lok Sabha today.

***

GS/SK

(Lok Sabha US Q3537)

(Release ID: 2155127)