In India, ‘extended producer responsibility’ was introduced as an important feature in which of the following ?

The correct answer is C. The e-Waste (Management and Handling) Rules, 2011 were the first Indian rules to put Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) into law. Under them, producers and importers of electrical and electronic equipment must collect back e-waste, or fund its collection and recycling, in proportion to what they sell. The idea is that the cost of disposal stays with the manufacturer, not with the municipality.

• A is wrong. The Bio-medical Waste Rules, 1998 set out segregation, treatment and disposal duties for hospitals and operators. EPR-style obligations came later, in the 2016 Rules.
• B is wrong. The Recycled Plastic Rules, 1999 regulated the manufacture and use of recycled plastic carry bags and containers. They had no producer take-back mechanism. EPR for plastics came with the Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016.
• D is wrong. The Food Safety and Standards Regulations, 2011 deal with food standards, licensing and labelling under FSSAI. They have nothing to do with waste management.

Core concept: EPR shifts end-of-life responsibility onto the producer. For Mains GS-III (environment, waste management, circular economy), it is a good example of the polluter-pays principle put into practice.

Trap: Students pick the plastic or biomedical rules because they sound environmental. Remember that EPR came into Indian waste law through the e-waste rules first, and that the later 2016 rules expanded it.