Economic Survey: Telangana’s Siddipet district has found a place in the Economic Survey 2025 for reducing plastic waste through its innovative ‘Bartan’ bank. The bank, run by self-help groups, has a stock of steel utensils that can be borrowed for social, religious, government or other gatherings at a nominal fee. This bank has reduced the use of disposable plastic utensils that are common in today’s meetings. The initiative started when the previous state government was running a free universal eye check-up scheme called “Kanti Velugu” in 2022. The program screened people for vision problems or eye diseases in all districts. For this purpose, government officials set up camps across the state. This meant that food for 15 to 20 employees would have to be arranged daily for each meal. To overcome this, they decided to set up utensil benches in the gram panchayat office.
This significantly reduced the dependence on disposable cutlery. The Economic Survey report states: “The benefits of the initiative include reduced plastic waste accumulation, indirect effects due to increased community awareness about the adverse effects of plastic consumption such as cancer and digestive problems. Microplastic consumption is an additional source of income for communities, self-help groups (SHGs) and gram panchayats, which is used for operational, maintenance and expansion purposes. The main outcome is a reduction in collection, dumping and burning of plastic waste, which is expected to result in a reduction of 6 to 8 kg of plastic waste per event and 28 quintals per month. This achievement of the previous government was shared by former Telangana Health Minister Harish Rao in ‘X’. He wrote: “It is a remarkable achievement to see our #SiddipetSteelBank initiative, the first of its kind in India, recognised in the Government of India’s Economic Survey 2023-2024. This innovative approach to plastic waste management sets an exemplary model for others to follow. Congratulations to the people of #Siddipet and dedicated self-help groups for their hard work and contribution! Barton banks have also been established in other states like Odisha and Madhya Pradesh.
