What is green cracker?

New Delhi, Oct 24: The Supreme Court while restricting the use of firecrackers during Diwali to an 8-10 pm window, ordered that only crackers with reduced emission and "green crackers" can be manufactured and sold.

In January, Science and Environment Minister Harsh Vardhan had tasked the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSRI) to come up with a way to make crackers that are "environmentally friendly" and to use science to save jobs in the industry.

Girish Sahni, Director General, CSIR, in a press statement, had said: "Several CSIR laboratories have come together and are putting together a robust S&T strategy for development of eco-friendly firecrackers and fireworks. The first phase will cover reduction of pollutants, while future strategies will cover removal of pollutants from the compositions."

Now, with the apex court ordering for the manufacturing of the 'green crackers', the eco-friendly Diwali is a turning out to be reality.

"Green crackers" are so named because they "do not contain harmful chemicals" that would cause air pollution. Components in firecrackers are replaced with others that are "less dangerous" and "less harmful" to the atmosphere, Dr Rakesh Kumar, director the CSIR-NEERI told The Indian Express.

These green-crackers have been sent to the Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation (PESO) - a statutory authority entrusted with framing rules under the Explosives Act, 1884, and the Inflammable Substances Act, 1952, for approval. After the approval, manufacturers can go ahead with with production.