Minister Priyank Kharge seeks feedback on India’s first Circular Economy Policy

PTI, Jan 8, 2025, 8:16 AM IST

Bengaluru: Karnataka Minister Priyank Kharge has on Tuesday sought feedback on India’s first comprehensive Circular Economy Policy being developed by the state.

Circular economy aims to circumvent waste through processes like maintenance, reuse, refurbish, re-manufacture, recycle and composting. This is being increasingly adopted by governments around the world to tackle specifically climate change-related challenges.

“I want your inputs to make it truly impactful,” wrote the Minister for Electronics, Information Technology & Biotechnology in his post on LinkedIn.

The minister announced the policy on December 5, 2024, at Propagate, the annual flagship event of Brigade REAP, a real estate accelerator programme, in Bengaluru.

The IT & BT ministry is seeking to launch the policy in the upcoming state budget, said sources.

According to Kharge, the policy is crucial because the real estate sector in Karnataka alone contributes 7.3 per cent to GDP and will hit USD 1 trillion by 2030.

“As we grow, we must grow responsibly. Every resource we waste today is borrowed from tomorrow. Our initial focus: mandating 20 per cent sustainable materials in all construction. We’re already testing recycled materials in rural road construction, exploring sustainable alternatives in forest infrastructure, and working on plastic removal from our water bodies,” said Kharge, in his LinkedIn post.

Kharge said the Karnataka government is serious about how it uses its resources.

“From reusing laptops in rural libraries to mandating glass bottles at government events; we’re rethinking how Karnataka uses its resources,” said the minister.

Kharge has now opened the policy for public debate.

“I want to hear from you: What areas should our circular economy policy focus on? How can we make sustainability more accessible? What innovative solutions have you seen or implemented?” wrote Kharge.