Govt clears Bill to curb plastic bags use in Delhi

New Delhi: The Delhi government on Monday approved four bills, including one on controlling use of degradable plastic bags, which will be presented in the forthcoming session of the Delhi Assembly.

The Delhi Legislative Assembly begins its session on September 10 and the bills to be tabled are: Delhi Medicare Service Personnel and Medicare Service Institutions Bill 2008; Delhi Degradable Plastic Bag and Garbage Amendment Bill 2008; a bill for setting up University for Pharmaceutical Sciences and Research; and a Bill for Establishment of Delhi Higher Education Council.

"The main aim behind introduction of Delhi Medicare Service Personnel and Medicare Service Institutions Bill 2008 is to stop incidents leading to violence and damage in the hospitals these days," a Delhi government spokesperson said after a Cabinet meeting.

"The increase in incidents of violence has resulted in unrest among medicare personnel and disruption of medicare services and inconvenience to members of general public," added the spokesperson.

The Cabinet decided to introduce during the forthcoming Assembly session the Delhi Degradable Plastic Bag (Manufacture, Sales and Usage) and Garbage (Control) (Amendment) Bill, 2008.

The amended Bill provides that no person shall manufacture, stock, distribute or sell plastic bags made of virgin or recycled, degradable or non-degradable plastic bags, which are less than 20cm X30 cm in size and with thickness less than 40 microns.

"It also provides that the plastic bag manufactured out of virgin plastic shall be of natural or white colour," the spokesperson further said.

"The University for Pharmaceutical Sciences and Research would facilitate and promote teaching, research, incubation and extension work in pharmaceutical sciences and its application domains," the spokesperson added.

Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit said the Cabinet decided to introduce the Delhi Higher Education Council Bill 2008 in the Assembly with an aim to achieve globally competitive standards of higher education in the national Capital.