GS Analyst: Daily Editorial In Brief

India has been ranked the world’s largest plastic polluter (Nature journal), releasing 9.3 million tonnes annually, with major data gaps, rural neglect, and unmonitored disposal methods. The Supreme Court’s use of continuing mandamus in the Vellore tannery pollution case highlights a judicial tool that could be extended to India’s systemic waste management crisis.

Data Deficit and Ground-Level Governance Gaps

• Inaccurate Waste Statistics: Official data (0.12 kg/capita/day) underestimates India’s plastic waste generation, as it excludes rural, informal, and open-burning sources; actual rate estimated at 54 kg/capita/day.
• Poor Methodology & Rural Exclusion: CPCB data lacks methodological transparency, with no audit trail; rural India remains excluded from waste accounting under Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs).
• Unlinked Waste Infrastructure: Absence of geotagged tracking and lack of systematic connectivity between local bodies and MRFs, EPR kiosks, and sanitary landfills hamper efficient waste processing.

Legal Framework and Supreme Court Intervention

• Constitutional and Statutory Obligations: Waste mismanagement violates Article 21 (Right to Life) and environmental norms under Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016, requiring active court oversight.
• Use of Continuing Mandamus: In the Vellore tannery case (Jan 31, 2024), SC used continuing mandamus, appointed a compliance committee, and recognized the failure of administrative execution despite legal mandates.
• Polluter Pays and Government Pay Principles: Court enforced the “polluter pays” principle, holding polluters and governments liable for both compensation and ecological restoration, till damage is fully reversed.

Way Forward: Technology, Accountability, and EPR Operationalisation

• Leveraging Tech for Waste Mapping: India must use its technological prowess for real-time waste generation and tracking to ensure scientifically grounded infrastructure planning and monitoring.
• EPR Kiosks for Decentralised Recovery: Producers, Importers, Brand Owners (PIBOs) should establish EPR kiosks at the grassroots, ensuring segregation, retrieval, and recycling at source.
• Judicial Oversight for Compliance: Extending the tool of continuing mandamus in environmental cases would ensure time-bound, court-monitored enforcement, especially in waste management reform.

Practice Question

India’s Index of Industrial Production (IIP) growth averaged 4% in FY 2024–25, marking its lowest level in four years, highlighting a broad slowdown in industrial activity amid global uncertainty, weak consumption, and subdued private investment.

Trends in Core Industrial Sectors

• Declining Industrial Growth: The IIP growth fell from 9% in FY24 to 4% in FY25, reflecting deceleration across manufacturing, mining, and electricity sectors.
• Sectoral Dip – Mining and Manufacturing: Mining output dropped steeply from 5% to 2.9%, while manufacturing slowed from 5.5% to 4%, indicating persistent supply chain issues and weak industrial demand.
• Electricity Output Cyclically Supported: Electricity generation rose from 6% (Feb) to 6.3% (Mar) due to seasonal summer demand, though annual growth fell from 7% to 5.1%.

Diverging Consumption Patterns

• Rural Stress – Consumer Non-Durables Degrowth: Consumer non-durables saw a degrowth of -1.6% in FY25 from +4.1% in FY24, driven by strained rural demand due to food inflation and falling farm incomes.
• Urban Resilience – Durable Goods Uptick: Consumer durables grew from 6% to 8%, signaling urban demand recovery, likely supported by lower lending rates and pent-up discretionary spending.
• Inflation Trends – Mixed Impact: Though retail inflation fell to 4.6% (lowest in 6 years), the drop in vegetable prices adversely affected agricultural earnings, further dampening rural consumption.

Exports and MSME Sector Pressure

• Flat Export Growth – MSME Exposure: Goods exports remained flat in FY25, raising concerns about the MSME sector, which contributes nearly 46% to total exports.
• MSME Scale vs. Vulnerability: Despite expanding from Rs 4 lakh crore (FY21) to Rs 12 lakh crore (FY25), MSMEs, especially micro units, remain vulnerable to external shocks and trade disruptions.
• Strategic Trade Leverage – Need for US Pact: India must strategically conclude the Bilateral Trade Agreement with the US, its top trading partner, to safeguard 60 million MSMEs and the 250 million jobs they generate.

Practice Question

India, aiming for net-zero emissions by 2070, is significantly behind its National Forest Policy target of 33% forest and tree cover (currently at 25.17%). With accelerating climate change and external carbon regulations (like EU’s CBAM), afforestation and carbon sequestration are becoming strategic tools for environmental, economic, and trade resilience.

Environmental and Policy Dimensions

• Forest Cover Deficit: India’s forest and tree cover is 17%, far below the 33% target of National Forest Policy, 1988, raising concerns over ecological sustainability and carbon sink capacity.
• Policy Initiatives and Green Missions: Key programmes include the Green India Mission (under NAPCC), which increased forest cover by 56% (2017–21), and the National Agroforestry Policy (2014) that promotes tree plantations outside traditional forests.
• Agroforestry and Rural Sustainability: Agroforestry enhances soil fertility, water retention, and income diversification, with 20–30% increase in farm income as per ICAR, thereby aligning ecological benefits with rural livelihood enhancement.

Industrial Strategy and Trade Implications

• Industry-Driven Afforestation via CSR and Carbon Credits: Industries are investing in tree plantations to generate carbon credits under the Verified Carbon Standard and CDM, as a cost-effective alternative to buying expensive EU credits (avg. €83/tonne CO? in 2023).
• Global Trade Pressures and CBAM Impact: EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), effective 2026, poses tariff threats on high-emission goods like cement and steel, pushing Indian exporters to reduce carbon footprints via afforestation.
• ESG and Competitive Advantage: Sustainability is now a strategic business imperative, with green supply chains, carbon offsetting, and ESG compliance crucial to attracting global investment and securing export markets.

Carbon Policy Reform

• High Cost of Global Carbon Credits: With EU carbon credits averaging €83/tonne, afforestation offers a cost-effective domestic alternative for industries to meet emission obligations and avoid trade penalties.
• Lack of National Carbon Market Framework: India lacks a transparent carbon credit registry, Article 6-compliant trading mechanism, and financial incentives, hindering private sector afforestation investments.
• Need for Institutional and Community Participation: To achieve large-scale afforestation, India needs community-led models, training & market support, and robust monitoring, aligning environmental outcomes with socio-economic co-benefits.

Practice Question

Q. Tree plantations are emerging as a key strategy for climate mitigation, rural development, and industrial competitiveness in India. Critically evaluate the ecological, economic, and policy challenges in implementing afforestation at scale in India.