Bhubaneswar : Two and half day “Capacity Building and Awareness Programme on Aluminium”, being held in Hotel MAYFAIR Lagoon Bhubaneswar organized by Ministry of Mines and NITI Aayog together with Jawaharlal Nehru Aluminium Research Development and Design Centre (JNARDDC) Aluminium Association of India (AAI), Material Recycling Association of India (MRAI) and Aluminium Secondary Manufacturers Association (ASMA) was inaugurated by Mr Ratan P Watal, Member Secretary, EAC-PM, GoI in presence of distinguished dignitaries Dr Anupam Agnihotri (Director, JNARDDC), Dr B N Satpathy (Sr. Consultant, Office of Principal Scientific Advisor to GoI), Mr Amit Saran (Director, Ministry of Mines), Mr Bibhu Mishra (MCoE, HINDALCO), Mr Sharanan Chaudhuri (Executive Director, Mines, NALCO), Mr Kishore Rajpurohit (Vice President, MRAI) and host of participants. In his inaugural speech Mr Watal stressed the need for circular economy (in which resources are kept in use for as long as possible, the maximum value is extracted from them whilst in use, the products and materials are recovered and regenerated at the end of each product life) and resource efficiency in view of depleting natural resources in global competition. For sustainable development, Auminium Resource Efficiency is key element necessitating great attention at waste materials such as bauxite residue (red mud), fly ash, spent pot lining (SPL), dross and recycling of aluminium. Dr Agnihotri affirmed the commitment of JNARDDC to contribute in every possible way in achieving resource efficiency in aluminium industry which can become zero waste industry and carbon neutral by 2030-35 with concerted efforts of everybody involved. Dr Agnihotri advocated the establishment of regulatory authority (on similar lines like Bureau of Energy Efficiency –BEE- under Ministry of Power) which will help in conserving the resources enhancing cost competiveness etc
The programme has received widespread participation from all three primary aluminium producing companies (NALCO, VEDANTA & HINDALCO), MRAI, ASMA, Secondary aluminium industries, representatives from Govt organisations (NITI Aayog, Ministry of Environment and Climate Change, CPCB, SPCB, BARC, IBM, Ministry and BIS etc) as well as from technology providers, young entrepreneurs, academicians and students etc. Deliberation in next two days will focus on following aspects of Resource efficiency in Aluminium.