NEW DELHI, DECEMBER 5: Paper bags are double the cost of plastic ones. We can't afford them,'' goes the oft-repeated plea of most shopkeepers. This is because as compared to thousands of polybag manufacturing units, there are only a handful making paper ones. The future of the proposed ban on plastic bags hangs on sheer economics.The solution may lie in the initiative being taken by the relatively unknown Khadi Village Industrial Board. It is offering loans of up to Rs 10 lakh (at an interest of 13 per cent) for setting up of manufacturing units for recycled paper bags. The bright part is that the loan carries a subsidy of 25 to 30 per cent. The Board is also setting up marketing outlets, of which one at Canning Road has already opened while the other is scheduled to be opened inside the Vidhan Sabha premises. ``We are providing complete infrastructure for potential paper manufacturers. The only thing which they need to do is provide labour,'' said S.P. Singh, the managing director of the Board.Loansare more easily available for women entrepreneurs. These can be set up even in residential areas (these units are zero-polluting). Since these small units will not have any overhead costs, the costs of the bags will be slashed considerably.In a study done a few months ago, the Board had proposed manufacture of large bags which can carry 2-3 kg of weight and would cost only Rs 4 enough to give polybags a run for money. As things stand, only a few large manufacturers supply paper bags to shops and boutiques who can afford to pay as much as Rs 6 for a single bag. ``Our endeavour is to make paper bags freely available in every corner of the city,'' says Singh. In a long-term plan, the Board is planning to set up their own manufacturing unit. The estimated cost of setting up one unit is less than Rs 8 lakh.This scheme negates the popular perception among shopkeepers in the city that there is no subsidy for manufacturers of the more eco-friendly bags. The fact that three people came to ask for setting upunits today is an encouraging sign for the future.Dikshitspeak on plastic :Why is it that the proposed Bill on plastic does not include a complete ban on plastic bags?A blanket ban would not have been effective because it would have been so easy to import these bags from neighbouring areas of Ghaziabad and Noida. But the ban is complete for recycled polybags which is being used to carry foodstuff.Do you think the various agencies will be able to implement the ban once it is enforced?The onus lies more on the people and that is what my message for the coming year is: This is your Delhi and you have to improve it'.Was it the success of the anti-cracker campaign which has motivated you to start an awareness campaign for polybags? I was touching a chord then, now I am going all out. My next campaign is going to be against gutka.
