Govt. of India launches web-based app on Integrated Waste Management System

The Government has launched a web-based application on Integrated Waste Management System (IWMS) – www.iwms.nic.in for better management of waste.  Launching the application here today, Minister of State (Independent Charge) of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Shri Prakash Javadekar, said that it will provide an opportunity to all the industries dealing in hazardous waste, to apply online.

The Minister also said that the user-friendly application can also track the movement of hazardous waste and will also help in ensuring its proper management. Shri Javadekar pointed out that there are an estimated 43000 industries dealing in hazardous waste, of which about 30000 industries have been mapped through this application.

The objective of the web-based application is to enhance transparency in the working of the Ministry and other Centre/State level regulatory bodies and also to reduce the time taken for processing applications, seeking various types of permissions under the recently notified waste management regulations.  In addition to being a single window access, this application is expected to expedite the way the permission is granted and way the analysis could be done not only for authorization and consents, but also for import/export permission under the rules.

The application has been developed to:

• Help people to apply and get online permissions for import and export of certain categories of waste, which is for reuse or recycling or recovery or co-processing and ultimately to conserve our primary resource.
• Help authorities in web-based processing, generation and grant of various types of certification/ permissions to the entrepreneurs and industries.
• Implement concept of paperless/ green office; the system has inbuilt arrangements for uploading the supporting documents / annexure, along with the online applications.
• Provide an insight to the number of authorization/ certificates granted under consent to establish, or consent to operate, from time to time across the country and make available at any point the information regarding number authorizations / consent orders granted by the State Pollution Control Boards (SPCBs).
• Enable user agencies to check the fate of their application any time through this web-based portal. The industry dashboard will show the application filed and sent to SPCB, Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) or Ministry for approval viz-a-viz authorization, Consent to Establish, Consent to Operate or for Import / Export permission. The application status, along with consent status across India, can be visualized on the SPCB / CPCB dashboard. The Ministry dashboard will act as the administrative user of the system, with all rights on the access of any type of data with additional access to certificate generation right for Import and Export, authorization and Registration, etc.
• Generate database on waste generating/ processing industrial units under construction, or operation by consolidating the information regarding Consent to Establish, Consent to Operate and Authorization, import/export permission
• Generate data base on different categories of wastes generated viz hazardous, biomedical, municipal, electronic, plastic waste etc.

Some of the key benefits of the web-based application include:

• Availability of State-wise and national database on generation of various types of waste and number of waste generating/ processing industrial units in the country at one place.  This will help the authorities further to identify the problem areas and plan accordingly.
• Will bring more transparency in the functioning of the Ministry and other State Authorities.
• Conversion of the current legacy paper house to a green office i.e. a virtual office moving ahead with all its relevant required data on its own private cloud.
• Single Window Access –  bridging the gap between industries and other waste generators, recyclers, operators of disposal facilities, State Pollution Control Board (SPCBs)/Pollution Control Committees (PCCSs), Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), municipalities and the concerned ministries for environmentally sound waste management of such wastes.
• Quick decision on applications by the authorities; earlier, it was arduous and time-taking, due to need of physical movement of the papers
• Better coordination and availability of information with the User Agencies (entrepreneurs/industries), Central and State authorities that will further help in achieving the objectives of ‘Ease of Doing Businesses’ and Make in India’, significantly.
• Encapsulation of all the information from state bodies and provide consolidated information at one place, which will help the Central and State authorities for effective monitoring.
• The Phase- II (upgraded version) of the (IWMS) is expected to encompass generation of annual report from the annual return filed by the industries and other stakeholders for various type of waste generated in the country. This version will provide customized GIS based information on waste management in the country. The GIS maps will be generated and integrated with underlying information to provide an excellent visual outlook to the available data.