India Cabinet approves the ratification of 7 POPs on Stockholm Convention 
On October 7, 2020, the Press Information Bureau of India reported that the Union Cabinet has approved the ratification of seven persistent organic pollutants (POPs) on the Stockholm Convention list. The Cabinet has also delegated the authority to ratify the chemicals regulated under the Convention to the Union Ministers of External Affairs and the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC).
- chlordecone
- hexabromobiphenyl
- hexabromodiphenyl ether and heptabromodiphenylether (octa-BDE)
- tetrabromodiphenyl ether and pentabromodiphenyl ether (penta-BDE)
- pentachlorobenzene
- hexabromocyclododecane
- hexachlorobutadiene
India ratified the Convention under Article 25(4) of the Convention on 13 January 2006 and has taken an ‘opt-out’ stance with respect to amendments to the Annexure to this Convention. Meanwhile, in order to provide safe environment and address the risks to human health, the MoEFCC has promulgated the Regulation of Persistent Organic Pollutants Rules, 2018 on March 5, 2018 under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986.
The approval of this ratification demonstrates India’s contribution to meeting its international obligations regarding the protection of the environment and human health, and also signifies the Government of India’s determination to take steps to address POPs by implementing control measures.
The original version of this article can be viewed at the following URL.
https://pib.gov.in/PressReleseDetail.aspx?PRID=1662335
