Govt introduces 'White' industries, exempts them from eco clearance

The ministry of environment today announced the introduction of a new categorisation of industries based on their pollution level, in move to meet the government's environmental goal while at the same time helping to improve the 'ease of doing business' in India.

The new categorisation is in addition to three existing categories - Red, Green and Orange – and includes 36 types of non-polluting industries, which will not require environment clearance for their operation.

These industries consist of bio-fertilisers, bio-pesticide, organic manure, wind power and mini-hydel power projects of less than 25 mega Watt capacities, among others.

"The new category of white industries, which is practically non-polluting, will not require environmental clearance (EC) and consent. The exercise of re-categorisation was being carried out for the last one year. This is a landmark decision to give a fair picture of the industries," environment minister Prakash Javadekar said.

The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has made the new categorisation on the basis of pollution index criteria and environmental issues such as generation of emission, effluent and hazardous waste.

The new classification of 242 industries has been done under four categories.

"Re-categorisation of industries based on their pollution load is a scientific exercise. The old system of categorisation was creating problems for many industries and was not reflecting the pollution of the industries. The new categories will remove this lacuna and give a clear picture to everyone,'' Javedkar said. "Twenty-five industrial sectors, which were not critically polluting, were also earlier categorised as Red. This was creating wrong impression to everyone," he added.

The Pollution Index PI of any industrial sector is a number from 0 to 100 and the increasing value of PI denotes the increasing degree of pollution load from the industrial sector. Based on the series of brain storming sessions among CPCB, SPCBs and MoEFCC , the following criteria on  'Range of Pollution Index 'for the purpose of categorisation of industrial sectors is finalised.  

• Industrial sectors having pollution index score of 60 and above – Red category
• Industrial sectors having pollution index score of 41 to 59 – Orange category
• Industrial sectors having pollution index score of 21 to 40 – Green category
• Industrial sectors having pollution index score of up to 20 – White category

Under the re-categorisation, due importance has been given to relative pollution potential of the industrial sectors based on scientific criteria. Further, wherever possible, splitting of the industrial sectors is also considered based on the use of raw materials, manufacturing process adopted and in turn pollutants expected to be generated.

There will be no necessity of obtaining the ''Consent to Operate'' for White category of industries. Intimation to concerned SPCB/PCC will suffice.

No Red category of industries shall normally be permitted in the ecologically fragile area / protected area.

Red Category industries include:
Isolated storage of hazardous chemicals, yarn / textile processing, automobile manufacturing (integrated), chlor alkali, hazardous waste recycling  (spent cleared metal catalyst), ship breaking, lubricating oils and grease manufacturing, oil and gas extraction, DG set  (> 5 MVA), metal surface treatment, carbon black and allied industries, tanneries, lead acid battery, ports /harbor/jetties, phosphate rock processing, synthetic fibers, power generation plant,  thermal power plants, hazardous waste recyclers (spent catalyst), slaughter house, chlorinated hydrocarbons, aluminium smelter, sugar, copper smelter, fibre glass production, fertilizer (basic), fire crackers, integrated iron and steel, e-waste recyclers, pulp and paper (bleaching), milk and dairy products, zinc smelter, phosphorous, oil refinery, petrochemicals , coke making, pharmaceuticals, explosives /detonators,

Paints/ varnishes/ pigments, distillery, organic chemicals, railway locomotive work shop/  service centers, airports and commercial air strips, asbestos, basic chemicals, cement, chlorates, per-chlorates and peroxides, chlorine/ fluorine/ bromine/ iodine, dyes and dye- intermediates, health-care establishment, hotels (big), lead acid battery –recyclers, waste electrical and electronic recyclers, glue and gelatin, mining and ore beneficiation, nuclear power plant, pesticides, photographic film /chemicals.

Orange Category industries include
Almirah, grill manufacturing, large cotton spinning and weaving, aluminium and copper extraction from scrap, lime manufacturing (using lime kiln), automobile servicing, repairing, liquid floor cleaner- black phenyl, ayurvedic and homeopathic medicine, manufacturing of glass, brickfields, manufacturing of mirror from sheet glass, building and construction (>20,000 sq m), manufacturing of mosquito repellent coil, cashew nut processing, manufacturing of starch/sago, ceramics and refractories, mechanized laundry using oil fired boiler, chanachur and ladoo using husk fired oven, medium scale hotels, coal washeries, modular wooden furniture, coated electrode, new highway construction project, coffee seed processing, non-alcoholic beverages (soft drink), compact disc computer floppy, paint blending and mixing (ball mill), copper waste recyclers, paints and varnishes (mixing and blending), dairy and dairy products (small scale), parboiled rice mills, DG set (>1MVA but < 5MVA), pharmaceutical formulation, dismantling of rolling stocks, ply-board manufacturing, dry cell battery, potable alcohol (IMFL) by blending, dry coal / mineral processing, printing ink manufacturing, fermentation (extra neutral alcohol), printing or etching of glass sheet, ferrous and non- ferrous metal extraction, printing press, fertilizer (granulation / formulation / blending), producer gas plant, fish feed, poultry feed and cattle feed, recyclers - used oils, fish processing and packing, recyclers - waste oils, fakes from rejected PET  bottle, recycling  - paint and ink sludge, foam manufacturing, reprocessing of waste plastic /PVC, food and food processing, rolling mill (oil or coal fired), forging of ferrous and non- ferrous, silica gel, formulation/pelletization of camphor tablets etc, silk /saree screen printing, glass ceramics, earthen potteries and tile, spray painting, gravure printing, digital printing on flex, steel and steel products with furnaces, heat treatment using oil fired furnace, stone crushers, hot mix plants, surgical and medical products (latex), ice cream, synthetic detergents and soaps, industry or processes involving foundry operations, synthetic resins, iodized salt from crude/ raw salt, synthetic rubber excluding molding, jute processing without dyeing, tephlon based products, large bakery and confectionery, thermocol manufacturing (with boiler), transformer repairing/ manufacturing, thermometer, tyres and tubes vulcanisation/ hot retread, tobacco products, including cigarettes, vegetable oil manufacturing, tooth powder, toothpaste, talcum powder, wire drawing and wire netting,

Green category industries include:
Aluminium utensils, ready mix cement concrete, ayurvedic medicines, reprocessing of waste cotton, small bakery /confectionery, rice mill (rice hullers only), PP film, rolling mill (gas fired) and cold rolling mill, biomass briquettes, rubber goods (gas operated baby boiler), melamine resins, saw mills, brass and bell metal utensils, soap manufacturing, candy, spice blending, cardboard / corrugated box, spice grinding, carpentry and wooden furniture, steel furniture, cement products, grain processing, ceramic colour by mixing, tyres /tube retreating, chilling plant and ice making, chilling /ice plant, coke briquetting, CO2 recovery, small cotton spinning and weaving, distilled water, dal mills, small hotels, decoration of ceramic cups, optical lenses, digital printing on PVC clothes, mineralised water, handling and storage of food grains, tamarind powder, flour mills, marble stone, electrical glass, ceramic, earthen potteries, emery powder, glue from starch, flyash export, gold and silver smithy, mineral stack yard, non-polluting heat treatment, oil and gas transportation pipeline, insulation /coated papers, seasoning of wood, leather foot wear/products, synthetic detergent, blending of lubricating oil and greases, tea processing, pasted veneers, pulverisation of bamboo, oil mill ghani, packing materials, phenyl/toilet cleaner, polythene and plastic products, poultry, hatchery and piggery, power looms (without dye and bleaching), puffed rice (muri) (gas or electrical heating).

White category industries include:
Air coolers /conditioners, bicycles  and baby carriages, bailing of waste papers, bio fertilizer /bio-pesticides, biscuits trays, blending /packing of tea, block making of printing, chalk making, compressed oxygen gas, cotton and woolen hosiers, diesel pump repairing, electric lamp (bulb) and CFL, electrical and electronic item, engineering and fabrication units, flavoured betel nuts, fly ash bricks/ block, fountain pen, glass ampoules, glass putty and sealant, groundnut decorticating, handloom/ carpet weaving, leather cutting and stitching, coir items from coconut husks, metal caps containers etc, shoe brush and wire brush, medical oxygen, organic and inorganic nutrients, organic manure, packing of powdered milk, paper pins and u clips, repairing of electric motors /generators, rope (plastic and cotton), scientific and mathematical instrument, solar module non-conventional energy apparatus, solar power generation through solar photovoltaic cell, wind power and mini hydel power (less than 25 MW), surgical and medical products assembling.