CEAMA, NASSCOM & MAIT in partnership with MeitY

Under the aegis of Digital India Awareness drive Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) in association with Consumer Electronics and Appliances Manufacturers Association (CEAMA), Manufacturers Association Information Technology (MAIT) and NASSCOM conducted a workshop on ‘Environmental Hazards of Electronic Waste’ in Guwahati. The workshop was inaugurated in the presence of  Vinod Seshan, IAS, Deputy Commissioner, Kamrup Rural Assam, Rohit Kumar Singh, Manager - Corporate Affairs Planning & Strategy, CEAMA and Archita Baruah, Coordinator WWF Assam.

The campaign aims to create awareness amongst stakeholders involved in e-waste management in 10 urban areas thereby, encouraging environmentally sound recycling through collective efforts across all relevant stakeholders in the e-waste value chain. The same will be achieved through - formation of a city task force, co-construction of specific strategies and by developing a city- level plan. Now in Moradabad the campaign has already traveled through the cities of Bihar and Imphal and will further identify 7 more cities, namely: Guwahati, Bhubaneshwar, Indore, Kolkata, Panjim, Pondicherry and Ranchi.

Shri Vinod Seshan, Deputy Commissioner, Kamrup Rural Assam was the Chief Guest for the Program. The Deputy Commissioner said that the initiative taken by CEAMA in association with MeitY to aware the students in the country on E waste is a commendable step. He emphasized the hazardous content present in these products are harmful for the health of people and for the whole ecosystem in large. He also added that while the unsafe handling and dismantling of products is creating huge impact on the people's life at the same time the hazardous substances which gets released during the extraction process are being directly dumped into the river and land which is posing a threat to the environment.

He said that there is an urgent need to create awareness and CEAMA took this initiative at the right time. He requested the participants to create awareness and cleanliness in the city.

Dhruba Jyoti Saikia, Vice Chancellor, Cotton College, Guwahati was the Guest of Honour for the program. In his speech he said that E waste is an important subject which needs a crucial attention, he told the students that they are the budding future and it’s their responsibility to save the environment in which they are residing. He further added that one should not discard their ewaste like any other waste rather they should opt the channel of formal recycling for the electronic waste. He further applauded the initiative of CEAMA and WWF in churning out such a program.

On this occasion Manish Sharma, President, CEAMA said, “With the proliferation of electronic gadgets and smartphones comes the concern related to human health and environment. Nearly, 18.5 lakh tonnes of e-waste is generated by India every year and most of it is discarded as it is. Government in association with the industry has already set the new e-waste management rules that details implementation procedures for collection of e-waste. The awareness drive is an important step towards this initiative and would urge respective stakeholders to take onus towards a safer and healthier environment.”

Rohit Kumar Singh, Manager, Corporate Affairs, Planning and Strategy, CEAMA made a power point presentation elucidating the responsibilities of students and bulk consumers towards ewaste. In addition to highlighting the hazards of e waste on environment.

He informed the students present during the occasion about the responsibility which they have to play in channelization of ewaste. He also made a mention that students can act as a crucial stakeholder in educating their parents, teachers, society and other stakeholders regarding the impact of ewaste.

He further shared his thoughts regarding the proper management and disposal of ewaste and said that the ewaste should be handed over to an authorized recycler only.

He said that it is estimated that India would become the biggest dumping ground of e-waste by 2020 and therefore it is crucial at this juncture to ensure proper management and safe disposal of ewaste in the country.