<p class="title">India is set to impose a nationwide ban on plastic bags, cups and straws on Oct. 2, officials said, in its most sweeping measure yet to stamp out single-use plastics from cities and villages that rank among the world's most polluted.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is leading efforts to scrap such plastics by 2022, is set to launch the campaign with a ban on as many as six items on Oct. 2, the birth anniversary of independence leader Mahatma Gandhi, two officials said.</p>.<p class="bodytext">These include plastic bags, cups, plates, small bottles, straws and certain types of sachets, said the officials, who asked not to be identified, in line with government policy.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"The ban will be comprehensive and will cover manufacturing, usage and import of such items," one official said.</p>.<p class="bodytext">India's environment and housing ministries, the two main ministries leading the drive, did not respond to emails from Reuters to seek comment.</p>.<p class="bodytext">In an Independence Day speech on Aug. 15, Modi had urged people and government agencies to "take the first big step" on Oct. 2 towards freeing India of single-use plastic.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Concerns are growing worldwide about plastic pollution, with a particular focus on the oceans, where nearly 50% of single-use plastic products end up, killing marine life and entering the human food chain, studies show.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The European Union plans to ban single-use plastic items such as straws, forks, knives and cotton buds by 2021.</p>.<p class="bodytext">China's commercial hub of Shanghai is gradually reining in use of single-use plastics in catering, and its island province of Hainan has already vowed to completely eliminate single-use plastic by 2025.</p>.<p class="bodytext">India lacks an organised system for management of plastic waste, leading to widespread littering across its towns and cities.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The ban on the first six items of single-use plastics will clip 5% to 10% from India's annual consumption of about 14 million tonnes of plastic, the first official said.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Penalties for violations of the ban will probably take effect after an initial six-month period to allow people time to adopt alternatives, officials said.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Some Indian states have already outlawed polythene bags.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The federal government also plans tougher environmental standards for plastic products and will insist on the use of recyclable plastic only, the first source said.</p>.<p class="bodytext">It will also ask e-commerce companies to cut back on plastic packaging that makes up nearly 40% of India's annual plastic consumption, officials say.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Cheap smartphones and a surge in the number of internet users have boosted orders for e-commerce companies, such as Amazon.com Inc and Walmart Inc's Flipkart, which wrap their wares - from books and medicines to cigarettes and cosmetics - in plastic, pushing up consumption.</p>
<p class="title">India is set to impose a nationwide ban on plastic bags, cups and straws on Oct. 2, officials said, in its most sweeping measure yet to stamp out single-use plastics from cities and villages that rank among the world's most polluted.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is leading efforts to scrap such plastics by 2022, is set to launch the campaign with a ban on as many as six items on Oct. 2, the birth anniversary of independence leader Mahatma Gandhi, two officials said.</p>.<p class="bodytext">These include plastic bags, cups, plates, small bottles, straws and certain types of sachets, said the officials, who asked not to be identified, in line with government policy.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"The ban will be comprehensive and will cover manufacturing, usage and import of such items," one official said.</p>.<p class="bodytext">India's environment and housing ministries, the two main ministries leading the drive, did not respond to emails from Reuters to seek comment.</p>.<p class="bodytext">In an Independence Day speech on Aug. 15, Modi had urged people and government agencies to "take the first big step" on Oct. 2 towards freeing India of single-use plastic.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Concerns are growing worldwide about plastic pollution, with a particular focus on the oceans, where nearly 50% of single-use plastic products end up, killing marine life and entering the human food chain, studies show.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The European Union plans to ban single-use plastic items such as straws, forks, knives and cotton buds by 2021.</p>.<p class="bodytext">China's commercial hub of Shanghai is gradually reining in use of single-use plastics in catering, and its island province of Hainan has already vowed to completely eliminate single-use plastic by 2025.</p>.<p class="bodytext">India lacks an organised system for management of plastic waste, leading to widespread littering across its towns and cities.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The ban on the first six items of single-use plastics will clip 5% to 10% from India's annual consumption of about 14 million tonnes of plastic, the first official said.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Penalties for violations of the ban will probably take effect after an initial six-month period to allow people time to adopt alternatives, officials said.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Some Indian states have already outlawed polythene bags.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The federal government also plans tougher environmental standards for plastic products and will insist on the use of recyclable plastic only, the first source said.</p>.<p class="bodytext">It will also ask e-commerce companies to cut back on plastic packaging that makes up nearly 40% of India's annual plastic consumption, officials say.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Cheap smartphones and a surge in the number of internet users have boosted orders for e-commerce companies, such as Amazon.com Inc and Walmart Inc's Flipkart, which wrap their wares - from books and medicines to cigarettes and cosmetics - in plastic, pushing up consumption.</p>