INDIA REPORTS REDUCTION OF 11243 MT OF CFC – customs officers to be trained
India is operated under Article 5, paragraph 1 of the Protocol (developing country with per capita consumption of Annex A substances less than 300 gms.) and eligible for financial and technical assistance from the Multilateral Fund of the Montreal Protocol to phase-out production and consumption of Ozone Depleting Substances (ODSs) as per the controlled schedule in the Protocol. India produces CFC-11, CFC-12, CFC-113, Halon-1211, Halon-1301, Carbon Tetra Chloride (CTC), methyl-chloroform and methyl bromide. These ODSs are used in refrigeration and air conditioning, fire fighting, electronics, foams and aerosol industries.
India has taken a series of fiscal and regulatory measures to facilitate ODS phase-out in the country. Among fiscal measures taken, the Government of India has accorded customs and excise duty exemptions on goods required for ODS phase-out projects and new investment with non ODS technology. The Reserve Bank of India has issued directions to all financial institutions and commercial banks not to finance new establishment with ODS technology. Trade in ODS with non-Parties to the Protocol has been banned. All ODS have brought under the ambit of licensing for purpose of both imports and exports. Export of CFCs to Non-Article 5 Countries has also been banned.
A national training programme for customs and enforcement officials and national awareness programme are under implementation. The Executive Committee has approved a funding for preparation of CFC phase-out in Metered –Dose-Inhalers (MDIs) sub-sector and HCFC strategy for India.
India has so far met the following compliance dates as per the control schedule of the Montreal Protocol: -
(a) Freeze of CFC production and consumption in July, 1999 at 22588 ODP tons and 6681 ODP tons respectively.
(b) Freeze of Halon production and consumption on 1.1.2002.
(c) Total phase-out of halon production and consumption.
(d) 50% reduction of CFC production and consumption in 2005 (production from 22588 MT to 11240 MT and consumption from 68812 MT to 1640 MT).
(e) 85% reduction of CTC production and consumption (production from 11525 MT to 1508 MT and consumption from 11537 MT to 1493 MT.