'Eco Friendly' green crackers with 30% less toxic pollution to be available in markets this Diwali
New Delhi, Oct 5: Green crackers with 30 per cent less emissions have entered the market, Union Minister Harsh Vardhan announced on Saturday, noting that the step has been taken so that people's sentiments are taken care of without harming the environment.
The green crackers were displayed by the minister and scientists of Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) who were involved in their making at an event here.
The Health Minister said the new and improved crackers have been introduced to deal with the menace of pollution.
"I am happy to announce that we have green crackers with reduced emission by minimum 30 per cent. These are environmental friendly. We had appealed to our scientists to come up with an alternative to the polluting fire crackers so that people's sentiment are taken care of without harming the environment," the minister said.
Showcasing the crackers, the minister and scientists from CSIR said they are available in the market at lesser cost due to the changed composition.
"The green crackers will be available at a cheaper price. It will not be more than the existing ones. The composition of the chemicals has changed which has reduced their cost," said Sadhana Rayalu, chief scientist and head of environmental materials division, CSIR-NEERI.
The scientists, however, did not reveal the exact price of the new crackers .
In 2018, just before Diwali, the Supreme Court had banned manufacturing of polluting firecrackers and ruled that only green crackers with reduced emission will be allowed to be sold in the country in order to control the pollution level.
The court had passed the order after the Centre had suggested that emission level in crackers could be reduced by changing the chemical composition and termed it green crackers. However, most manufactures and sellers were left clueless at that time and hardly any green crackers were available in the market.
CSIR-NEERI has developed eco-friendly ‘green crackers’ which are now available in the market for consumers for coming Diwali. Addressing media in Delhi today at Anusandhan Bhawan, I said these have been developed jointly with firework manufacturers.@PMOIndia @CSIR_IND pic.twitter.com/NOl79AMxqa
— Dr Harsh Vardhan (@drharshvardhan) October 5, 2019
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Karnataka Guv to halve convoy size following PM Modi's austerity call
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot on Thursday reduced the size of his official convoy to the minimum required strength following Prime Minister Narendra Modi's austerity call.
In a post on 'X', the Lok Bhavan said Gehlot had taken the step in response to the Prime Minister's appeal for fuel conservation and reduction in foreign exchange expenditure amid the West Asia crisis.
"Hon'ble Governor of Karnataka Shri Thaawarchand Gehlot has reduced his convoy to the minimum required strength, following Hon'ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi Ji's appeal," the post said.
The move comes days after Modi, while addressing a rally organised by the BJP in Hyderabad, called for several measures aimed at conserving foreign exchange and reducing dependence on imports amid tensions in West Asia.
The Prime Minister had urged citizens to reduce petrol and diesel consumption, use metro rail services in cities, adopt carpooling, increase the use of electric vehicles and utilise railway services for parcel transportation. He had also suggested working from home wherever possible to conserve fuel and foreign exchange.
Modi further appealed to people to postpone the purchase of gold and foreign travel for one year, reduce edible oil consumption, lower dependence on chemical fertilisers and promote natural farming and swadeshi products to strengthen self-reliance and conserve foreign exchange.
