(a) whether the Government has made it mandatory for fertilizer companies to co-market compost;
(b) if so, the steps taken by the Government to ensure compliances in this regard;
(c) whether the Government is planning to utilize biodegradable waste in cities for use as compost; and
(d) if so, the details of the steps undertaken by the Government in this respect?
MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) FOR THE MINISTRY OF PLANNING AND MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF CHEMICALS & FERTILIZERS
( RAO INDERJIT SINGH)
(a) & (b) : In compliance to the Ministry of Urban Development instructions for implementation of the recommendation of the Inter-Ministerial Task Force on Integrated Plant Nutrient Management, the Department of Fertilizers vide letter dated 2nd June, 2009 and 11th March, 2015 has requested fertilizer companies to co-market compost. Further, the Government of India has approved a policy on promotion of city compost which has been notified by the Department of Fertilizers on 10.2.2016 in which Market Development Assistance of Rs. 1500/- MT has been provided for scaling up production and consumption of city compost.
(c) & (d) : The Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016 strengthen the aspects of production of compost from pure organic waste/biodegradable waste by recognizing segregation as a pre requisite for obtaining good quality compost from biodegradable waste and emphasizing on source segregation into organic/wet and inorganic/dry as a means to ensure the quality of the end product. A multi-media campaign on waste to compost has been launched. Swachh Survekshan 2018, the National City ranking survey also has parameters in place to assess cities on the utility of biodegradable waste to produce city compost.
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