Source: IE
Context: Industries classified under the ‘white category’ by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), considered non-polluting, will no longer need prior permissions (‘consent to establish’ (CTE) and ‘consent to operate’ (CTO)) from state pollution control boards to operate under the Air Act, 1981, and Water Act, 1974, according to draft notifications from the Environment Ministry.
- White category industries, such as wind and solar power projects and air cooler assembly, must now inform state boards of their operations via self-declarations.
Categorizing Industrial Sectors:
The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) categorizes industrial sectors based on their Pollution Index (PI), which reflects the level of emissions, effluents, hazardous waste, and resource consumption.
The Pollution Index ranges from 0 to 100, with higher values indicating greater pollution. The criteria for categorization are as follows:
- Red category: PI score of 60 and above
- Orange category: PI score of 41 to 59
- Green category: PI score of 21 to 40
- White category: PI score up to 20
This categorization is based on references from the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Cess (Amendment) Act, 2003, Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 standards, and the Doon Valley Notification, 1989.
