Ban on the use of plastic bags given to customers and used by the public continues," said Ramdas Kadam, Maharashtra environment minister.. The ban is being imposed on common citizens and many traders have already been heavily fined.Cleaning and sweeping work has been given to a private company in Mantralaya.Big plastic bags are being used in the offices of ministers and secretaries to store documents, files and other items.The Railways and other government offices are also not strictly implementing the plastic ban even though action has been initiated against traders.The dustbins are placed outside the toilets on each floor, including outside the offices of CM Devendra Fadnavis, environment minister Ramdas Kadam and all ministers.Although the government is very keen on the implementation of the plastic ban across the state, Mantralaya employees have not yet implemented it. The sweepers say that they have not received any instructions on plastic usage. 

He added that plastic and thermocol used by manufacturing companies, materials used in hospitals like saline bottles etc are exmpted from the ban.Plastic bags are also China PVC sheets factory being used at Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus and at other railway stations and government offices.Though plastic water bottles are allowed, they are in use on a large scale as chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, all ministers, secretaries and deputy secretaries prefer to provide water in bottles than in a glass to guests.The minister stated that this will be effective from Thursday, 28th June

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The Earth doesn&pet sheets39;t belong to us but, we belong to the Earth. May be then we’ll realise we are on the brink of our carelessness & greed-infused disasters.twitter.com/8mPtUjPggl— Ravi Shankar Prasad (@rsprasad) June 5, 2018. And we are obligated to bequeathing a greener and eco-friendly legacy to our children #PresidentKovind— President of India (@rashtrapatibhvn) June 5, 2018BJP lawmaker Prakash Javadekar too put forward some important facts in public interest.com/uwpmP2cMR1— VicePresidentOfIndia (@VPSecretariat) June 5, 2018The President of India reaffirmed the country's commitment towards a cleaner and more sustainable planet.com/HYUNlCCQ2P— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) June 5, 2018The Vice President of India too pushed for plastic ban on the micro-blogging site.— Gautam Gambhir (@GautamGambhir) June 5, 2018Artist Sudarshan Pattnaik created the biggest sand turtle to spread the message of #beatplasticpollutionMy Biggest Sand Turtle, 50ft long & 30ft wide with installation of plastic bottles at Puri beach in Odisha with message #BeatPlasticPollution for #WorldEnvironmentDay pic. Let us pledge to make every day #WorldEnvironmentDay— Mamata Banerjee (@MamataOfficial) June 5, 2018Popular actor and UN representative Dia Mirza took to Twitter as well, wishing everyone on World Environment Day.On #WorldEnvironmentDay let us take a pledge to protect and preserve the environment in every possible way. Following this year’s theme, let us pledge to ‘beat plastic pollution’. (Photo: PTI) Celebrated on June 5 every year, World Environment Day is the United Nation's principal vehicle for encouraging awareness and action for the protection of the flaura and fauna.com/D6GMFrhqau— Prakash Javadekar (@PrakashJavdekar) June 5, 2018Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee too took to Twitter to share her views, pledging to beat plastic pollution. 

Plastic is a classic case of, whatever is given to us, we know how to make a problem out of it.twitter.’Here’s how Indians have taken to Twitter to spread the message rime Minister Narendra Modi took to Twitter to wish the people and spread the message of environment conservation.com/EQqT8DaJ3v— Sudarsan Pattnaik (@sudarsansand) June 4, 2018Speaking to news agency ANI, Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev said, "This has been a concern for me and many other people including United Nations. Time has come for every individual to join the campaign to end single-use plastic and protect the environment.Happy #WorldEnvironmentDay!!! #BeatPlasticPollution @UNinIndia @UNEnvironment @moefcc @ErikSolheim @SadhguruJV @_MohitChauhan pic.Greetings on #WorldEnvironmentDay.twitter.This year's host is India and the official theme is ‘Beating plastic pollution.twitter.twitter.twitter.com/LV67JXy8z0— Dia Mirza (@deespeak) June 5, 2018Indian cricketer Gautam Gambhir too put forward some thought provoking remarks. #WorldEnvironmentDay pic. pic. First held in 1974, it has been a flagship campaign for raising awareness on emerging environmental issues from marine pollution, human overpopulation, and global warming, to sustainable consumption and wildlife crime. Something we pass on to the next generation #ThereIsNoPlanetB #WorldEnvironmentDay⁠ ⁠— Rohit Sharma (@ImRo45) June 5, 2018The Congress too took to Twitter, pledging to protect the Environment. #BeatPlasticPollution #WorldEnvironmentDay pic. pic.’ First held in 1974, it has been a flagship campaign for raising awareness on emerging environmental issues from marine pollution, human overpopulation, and global warming, to sustainable consumption and wildlife crime. This year's host is India. He wrote,*Nature, Culture for Better future*Let us take a pledge to ‘Beat Plastic Pollution’, the theme of World Environment Day today. The official theme is ‘Beating plastic pollution. Let’s make it a part of our daily routine.twitter.I think instead of #WorldEnvironmentDay # let’s rename it as #WorldSurvivalDay.Today is World Environment Day.On #WorldEnvironmentDay, let us raise awareness among the people for a cleaner and greener environment that can lead us to sustainable development. India is hosting the global celebrations this year."Cricketer Rohit Sharma stressed on the fact that environment protection should not remain a one-day affair, but something that people look into everyday.Let’s not make ‘looking after our environment’ an event which comes few times a year.On World Environment Day, we reaffirm our commitment to a cleaner and sustainable planet.15,000 tonnes of plastic waste is generated every day, 9,000 tonnes is collected and recycled, but 6,000 tonnes of plastic waste is not collected and remain littered. It's just that now there is a concrete action in the direction.Every World Environment Day has a different global host country, where the official celebrations take place

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The Internet and Mobile Association of India, which also counts Amazon and Flipkart as members, said it had asked the state to ease the rules but did not specify what relaxation it was seeking. Representatives of companies including Amazon, H&M, Pepsi and Coca-Cola, as well as plastic industry bodies and lobby groups, met with Maharashtra government officials days before the ban came into effect on June 23.Nidhi Choudhari, Mumbai's deputy municipal commissioner, told Reuters it has collected more than 1.The ban by Maharashtra could sharply raise costs for companies that rely heavily on plastic for packaging, such as retailers, beverage makers and sellers of bottled water. (Photo: File | Representational) Mumbai: Multinational companies like Amazon Inc and H&M are lobbying to soften a ban against single-use plastic imposed by Maharashtra last week, according to four sources familiar with the matter. H&M said in a statement that it supported reusing and recycling, adding that the company had asked the government to clarify the rules and for help coming up with solutions.Plastic packaging accounts for nearly half of all plastic waste globally, and much of it is thrown away within just a few minutes of its first use, according to the United Nations.

Our demand to the government is: give the industry seven years to come up with alternatives," said Neemit Punamiya, general secretary of the Plastic Bags Manufacturers Association of India, who attended the meeting.An e-commerce industry source said that packaging charges comprise about 2 per cent to 3.5 per cent of fulfilment costs - the price of shipping, delivery and compensating sellers for discounts - and that the use of biodegradable plastic or other alternatives could push these costs higher.Beverage makers such as Pepsi and Coca-Cola, meanwhile, want an exemption from the rules as they mandate a buyback of empty bottles at a guaranteed price, which will raise costs, another source familiar with the talks said.Violations could result in penalties of up to Rs 25,000 rupees and jail terms of up to three months.For online retailers, cost is one of the main issues.Since the ban came into force, squads of officials in Mumbai have been raiding shops and restaurants, sometimes accompanied by police, to enforce compliance."

The Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry, whose members include online retailers such as Amazon India and Flipkart, said in a June 7 letter to the state government that such a ban "will not be without its own share of adverse environmental impacts which are largely driven by issues associated with the use of alternatives".Bharati Chaturvedi, founder of # the Chintan environmental advocacy group in New Delhi, said she feared the plastics industry would use any compliance extensions to try to put off the ban indefinitely.Maharashtra's move, the first such broad action against plastic by any state, comes as Prime Minister Narendra Modi pushes a plan to completely end the use of single-use plastic in India by 2022. 

They would, however, have to ensure buyers return the packaging for recycling. Another official confirmed that issues raised by the industry was being looked into..20 billion) a year and nearly 300,000 jobs.3 million rupees in penalties so far. "It cannot happen overnight - we've got investments, we've got loans to pay and people to manage.H&M said that it supported reusing-recycling, adding that it had asked government to clarify rules and for help coming up with solutions.Enforcing ComplianceMaharashtra's plastic ban includes bags, food containers, spoons, forks, glasses and packaging wraps - which the local plastics industry says could cost it up to 150 billion rupees (USD 2.A senior official told Reuters the government could moderate some aspects of the rule for online retailers as well or give them more time to comply.Both officials declined to be named as the talks are not public.

Cardboard boxes, for example, could cost nearly a third more than plastic packing, according to industry estimates cited by the Economic Times daily.Amazon, Flipkart, Pepsi and Coca-Cola did not respond to requests for comment."We should really have a hard ban," she said

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