Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday called for a proper disposal of e-waste, saying it can become a great force to build a circular economy. During his first ‘Mann Ki Baat’ address of 2023, the prime minister cited a United Nations report which stated that 50 million tonnes of e-waste is being thrown every year.
"Can you imagine how much it is? Even if all commercial planes made in human history are weighed together, it will still be less than this e-waste. It is like, every second eight hundred laptops are being thrown away. About 17 types of precious metals can be extracted from this E-Waste through different processes”, he said.
“Therefore recycling of e-waste is no less than making gold from waste”, the prime minister said.
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“Whenever someone replaces their old device, it becomes necessary to keep in mind whether it is discarded properly or not. If E-Waste is not disposed, it can also harm our environment. If done carefully, it can become a great force in Circular Economy of Recycle and Reuse”, he added.
The prime minister also said that domestic patent filings in India have outscored the country's foreign patent filings. He expressed confidence that India's dream of ‘Techade’ will be fulfilled on the strength of its innovators.
Modi said India's rank in patent filling is seventh globally while it is fifth in trademark registration. India's patent registration has risen by 50 per cent in the last five years, the prime minister said, noting that its ranking in the global innovation index has surged to 40 from below 80 in 2015.