Himachal Pradesh on top in bio-medical waste management

SHIMLA: In a comparative analysis by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), it was found that Himachal Pradesh is the top performer in the implementation of the Biomedical Waste Management Rules, 2016. Chandigarh, Delhi, Puducherry and West Bengal have also topped the table.

According to the report presented by CPCB before the National Green Tribunal (NGT), these states and union territories (UTs) have a total score of 21 out of the total 24. CPCB has stated 12 key performance indicators to analyse the states in terms of their effectiveness in monitoring, ensuring compliance and implementation of Biomedical Waste Management Rules, 2016. The state board has taken various initiatives on the lines of the new regulation in 2016. Spokesperson of the Himachal Pradesh government said that it sensitised the stakeholder institutions including allopathy, ayurvedic and veterinary hospitals and institutions to achieve a better compliance of the rules.

He added that more than a 100 trainings and workshops were arranged at the state, district and local levels to bring all the institutions under the ambit of the new regulations. Even during the COVID-19 pandemic, the state regulatory agency put in the best efforts to enforce the rules for management of biomedical waste. It granted the authorisation to about 4,000 healthcare institutions, which is around 58 per cent of the total authorisations granted for now.