Page 9 - Plastics News September 2020

The New Industry In Making
In a short time since the COVID 2019Pandemic, India has developed into a country
producing 4.5 lakh PPE kits a day from zero. If rough estimates are to be believed it is
now growing and anticipated to be an Rs 7,000-crore industry in the making.
I feel, no other sector of the industry has developed so fast and rapidly like this in our
country. An important point is that the industry got no subsidy or incentive from the
government and it sprung to its feet on its own.
One needs to appreciate this remarkable journey of collaboration between
governments at the central and state levels, industries and workers to revamp
existing production lines and manufacture a completely unknown product, from
scratch.
From being a net importer of personal protection equipment, India has taken first
steps in exporting the protective gear that has emerged key defence in the fight
against Covid-19. The Ministry of Health said domestic manufacturers had exported
23 lakhs personal protection equipment (PPE) kits in July, when the government
allowed sale of such medical coverall to foreign entities. The domestic manufacturers
sold the PPEs to five countries – the US, Britain, UAE, Senegal and Slovenia.
According to the ministry while the Union government is supplying PPE kits, N95
masks, ventilators etc., to the state governments and union territories
administrations, states are also procuring these items directly. Between March and
August 2020, states across the country have procured 1.4 crore indigenous PPE from
their own budgetary resources. During the same period, the Centre has distributed
some 1.28 crore PPE to states, UTs and central institutions, free of cost.
To look at it other way round the COVID had provided the much needed stimulus to the
Indian Industry especially the PPE manufacturing for Covid pandemic requiring single-
use PPE kits and other plastics as a overall safety measure.
However, environmentalists now conveniently are crying foul holding it responsible
for a surge in plastic waste but they need not worry for, the government's Council of
Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR)are pooling their expertise to convert
discarded personal protective equipment (PPE), and other plastic waste of the
pandemic into fuel or pellets that can be moulded into automobile parts or used for
road construction.
And agreeing to the fact that the increasing Plastic waste has been an eyesore but no
more, for there is a yet another invention –Worlds First 'Plastic Dam' that has been
completed in Maharashtra by an Indian researcher on Plastic Pollution. The making of
Plastic Dam is a unique technique which is without any pollution (Air, Water & Land).
Thanks to Mr. Sachin Deshmukh for he has a solution in the form of Plastic Dam that
could further use Plastics waste which was till date used only in road making (apart
from in recycled plastics).

Looking forward to further implementations…
Last but not the least we welcome the new team of the Office Bearers on board and
look forward to their continued support. Congratulations to the new team...

September 2020 9 Plastics News