June 29 NITI Aayog – CPR 2nd Open Seminar on Conceptualising Zero-Waste in India under Swachh Bharat: Possibilities and challenges Monday, 29 June 2015, 3:00 p.m. Room 122, NITI Aayog, Sansad Marg, New Delhi 110001   Image by Kimberly M. Noronha   In 2011, urban India generated 62 million tonnes of solid waste per year (Census); this is slated to increase five-fold to 260 million tonnes per year by 2047 (TERI). Under the Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM), 80% of the urban population (allowing for a 2% increase year on year) has to be covered for Solid Waste Management (SWM). The 2015 draft amendments to the Solid Waste Rules (2000) propose that every effort must be made to achieve the desired objective of zero waste (ZW). India’s adoption of this strategy has largely been at the local level driven by local governments such as Pune and Mysore, at the state-government level by states such as Gujarat, or by NGOs like Chintan, EXNORA, and Thanal. The 2nd NITI Aayog-CPR Open Seminar on “Conceptualising Zero Waste in India under Swachh Bharat: Possibilities and challenges” will focus on the desirability and applicability of the Zero Waste strategy in India, and the challenges faced in rolling this out, learning from national and international experiences. Programme schedule: 15:00-15:05  -  Introduction & Welcome Ms Sindhushree Khullar, CEO, NITI Aayog 15:05-15:15  -  Zero-waste in India: Some Policy Questions Mr Shubhagato Dasgupta, Senior Fellow, Centre for Policy Research 15:15-15:35  -  Presentation: Motivating citizens and administration for zero-waste cities: The case of Pune, India Mr Kunal Kumar, Commissioner, Pune Municipal Corporation 15:35-15:55  -  Presentation: Pathways to Zero Waste in the Indian Context Dr Ashish Chaturvedi, Research Fellow, Green Transformations Cluster, Institute of Development Studies, University of Sussex 15:55-16:30  -  Open discussion Moderated by Ms Sindhushree Khullar, CEO, NITI Aayog Speaker Bios: Kunal Kumar is a 1999 batch IAS officer from the Maharashtra cadre, currently serving as Commissioner, Pune Municipal Corporation. Mr Kumar has received four awards for effective e-governance. Pune is one of the cities that has rolled out its Zero-Waste strategy on a ward by ward basis, and in February 2015 announced that this will be rolled out to a further 10 wards. Dr Chaturvedi has over 14 years of professional experience and specialises in climate change mitigation, waste management, sustainable consumption and production, and environmental policy. His current focus is on issues related to the circular economy and the drivers for Green Transformations. This is part of the Open Seminar Series planned by NITI Aayog and Centre for Policy Research. These seminars aim to create a platform for deliberation on models for urban sanitation, including service delivery, through a series of thematic seminars with academic and research institutions, development partners, public and private organisations, NGOs and the three tiers of government. The seminar series will strengthen the understanding of the challenges and opportunities in sanitation by promoting evidence-based knowledge in the sector.    Tweet Share Forward