HYDERABAD: The Economic Survey 2023-24, which was submitted by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Seetharaman to Parliament on Monday, appreciated the steel “bartan bank” idea set up in Siddipet district of Telangana.
The bartan bank concept revolves around addressing the challenge of managing plastic waste, particularly disposable utensils, in Siddipet district through a creative and sustainable solution. The initiative originated during the Kanti-Velugu programme in 2022, a state-wide universal eye testing program where medical camps were held across villages, necessitating daily food arrangements for 15-20 staff members.
According to the economic survey, the steel bank concept entails providing a variety of steel utensils such as plates, spoons, glasses, bowls and basins, which are stored as a bank at the Gram panchayat office. The benefits of the initiative have been the reduction of plastic waste accumulation, increased community awareness regarding the adverse effects of plastic consumption, such as cancerous and digestive issues due to indirect consumption of micro-plastics, additional income sources for communities, Self-Help Groups (SHGs) and gram panchayats, which is utilised for operational, maintenance and expansion purposes.
With this concept, the key outcome has been reduced plastic waste collection, dumping and burning with an expected reduction of 6-8 kilograms of plastic waste per event and 28 quintals per month, it added. The initiative of bartan bank has been implemented in the local bodies of many other states, it stated.
In 2022, the then minister and Siddipet MLA T Harish Rao launched this initiative to reduce use of plastic in the district. The economic survey mentioned that Telangana contributes to over 30% of India’s pharma production and is home to more than 1,000 life sciences companies. In Telangana, there are over 200 FDA-approved sites for producing innovative and generic medicines.
The economic survey said that various states, including Telangana, are undertaking a multi-pronged approach to boost the Global Capability Centers (GCC) ecosystem by identifying high potential industries.
It said: “For example, state governments of Karnataka, Telangana and Tamil Nadu have launched research and development (R&D) policies to expand the GCC landscape in sectors such as auto and electric vehicles, electronics, pharma and life sciences in the states. These policies aim to develop innovation hubs in the states by leveraging the existing industry presence and the academic and R&D ecosystem.”
