Latest news with #RohanGupta
Hans India
02-07-2025
- Politics
- Hans India
‘Performance very low, failing in duties': BJP on Rahul Gandhi's one-year tenure as LoP
New Delhi: As Congress leader Rahul Gandhi completed one year as Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha, the BJP on Wednesday sharply criticised his performance, calling it 'very low' and accusing him of failing to fulfil his constitutional responsibilities. BJP leaders alleged that LoP Rahul Gandhi was frequently absent from the House for extended periods and spent too much time abroad, undermining his ability to represent the Opposition effectively. 'In the last year, the country's politics has changed a lot. Today, during the meetings of the INDI Bloc in the Lok Sabha, they tried to create an impression that the BJP has been defeated and that the NDA has fallen behind. But the election results over the past year have shown the people of this country the reality. There is a clear difference in the politics and ideology of both sides,' BJP leader Rohan Gupta told IANS. He added that this journey, which started from Haryana, shows a clear mandate from the people, from Haryana to Delhi, demonstrating that there will be no compromise on national issues. 'The message for the Opposition is equally clear: the politics of appeasement has taken centre stage. Their alliance partners are relying on appeasement to save their sinking boat,' he said. He further pointed out that the upcoming Bihar elections will show this even more clearly, with their leaders doubling down on appeasement, adding that they talk about the Constitution, but somewhere they also support Sharia. 'The people of this country know the whole truth. That is why the Congress party, which once led the INDI Bloc, is now reduced to a junior partner. This decline is due to the Congress party's ideology, policies, and its relentless pursuit of appeasement politics,' he said. Another BJP leader, Jagannath Sarkar, also criticised LoP Rahul Gandhi's commitment to his role, saying that Rahul Gandhi has not performed his duties as LoP in the Lok Sabha. 'He has been absent from Parliament for long hours. As LoP, he must be present in the House and listen to debates,' he said. BJP leader Sudhanshu Trivedi claimed that Congress is a party whose leader, Rahul Gandhi, frequently travels abroad, often immediately after each Parliament session. 'Even senior leaders of his party cannot distinguish between national responsibilities and foreign trips,' he alleged. BJP leader Nisith Pramanik said that Rahul Gandhi has completed one year as LoP in the Lok Sabha. 'But I feel that by the time he even begins to understand how Parliament functions, the five-year term will be over,' he said. He further alleged that LoP Rahul Gandhi's performance is 'very poor' even by the standards of a normal parliamentarian. Despite the BJP's criticism, Rahul Gandhi's appointment as LoP marked a significant moment in parliamentary history. After the Congress secured 99 seats in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the position - vacant for a decade because no Opposition party met the minimum requirement of 10 per cent of seats - was finally filled. As LoP, Rahul Gandhi holds the critical responsibility of holding the government accountable and providing constructive criticism of its policies, a role that remains essential in any parliamentary democracy.
India Today
05-06-2025
- Business
- India Today
From trash to treasure: The rise of doorstep e-waste recycling
India's digital boom has come with a dark side: mountains of discarded electronics. Unsafe recycling practices and a booming appliance market have turned e-waste into one of the country's fastest-growing environmental Today spoke with Rohan Gupta, Co-founder and Chief Operating Officer of Attero, to explore how doorstep e-waste collection is transforming how urban India disposes of its old devices, with accountability, convenience, and long-term impact in SCALE OF THE PROBLEMIn 2023–24, India generated nearly 3.8 million metric tonnes (MMT) of e-waste—a 100% increase in just ten years. A majority of it is processed informally through hazardous methods like acid leaching and open-air burning, exposing workers to toxins and polluting air and soil.A MODEL BUILT FOR URBAN REALITY Doorstep collection is gaining popularity for its simplicity. Individuals and businesses can now schedule pickups at their convenience, ensuring their devices are routed to certified recyclers.'People are more likely to recycle when it's easy,' says Gupta. 'Our goal is to make recycling as seamless as a food delivery.'According to Redseer Strategy Consultants, India's e-waste holds $6 billion in recoverable value, including critical materials like cobalt, lithium, and rare earth elements. Stronger formal networks could also cut metal import bills by $1.7 billion E-WASTE COMES FROMadvertisementHouseholds are responsible for about 70% of India's annual e-waste. Appliance breakdown by weight includes:Refrigerators: 675,000 tonnesWashing machines: 630,000 tonnesAir conditioners: 115,000 tonnesTVs, laptops, and smartphones: 81,000 tonnesLarge appliances and temperature exchange devices alone contribute 2.5 MMT PUSH PRODUCERS TO ACTUnder the E-Waste (Management) Rules, 2022, producers must recycle 60% of their products in FY24, increasing to 80% by is part of the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) system, which mandates producers to tie up with certified recyclers and obtain compliance certificates through a central portal. Doorstep collection supports this system by improving traceability and volume FROM GLOBAL MODELSCities worldwide are adopting similar ideas: Stockholm runs mobile collection vans, San Francisco includes e-waste in municipal pickups, and Singapore's ALBA Group offers digital rewards for used by these models, Attero's Selsmart initiative is building a nationwide collection infrastructure with local partners and goes beyond pickups. The system emphasizes data security, transparent logistics, and environmental safety. Every collected item is traceable—from doorstep to dismantling.'This isn't about just collecting more,' Gupta says. 'It's about building trust across the chain—from consumers to manufacturers.'A CIRCULAR ECONOMY WAITING TO BE BUILTOnly 30% of India's e-waste is formally recycled. The rest goes untracked, wasting 80,000 crore worth of recoverable metals and potential tax revenue collection helps plug that leak, bringing efficiency, safety, and circularity to the system while supporting green jobs and domestic supply device use accelerates, India needs scalable solutions now, not later. Doorstep collection is not just about waste—it's about the future of how cities operate.'People want to do the right thing,' Gupta says. 'We just need to make doing the right thing the easier choice.'
