AWBI advises ban on “Manja”

• Context (IE | IE): The Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) has advised all states and UTs to amend their respective notifications to “completely prohibit” all harmful sharp threads or “manjha.“
• Also, the Delhi HC has directed the Delhi govt. to frame a comprehensive policy for granting compensation to people who have lost their lives and limbs in accidents due to the use of Chinese manjha.
• Earlier, in 2017, NGT directed all states/UTs to enforce a “total ban” on such ‘manjha’.

Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI)

• It is a statutory advisory body under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act of 1960.
• It was started under the stewardship of Late Smt. Rukmini Devi Arundale.
• It is responsible for animal welfare. Also provides grants for the same.
• HQ: Ballabhgarh, Faridabad (Haryana).

AWBI advisory regarding synthetic manjha

• AWBI advised against the “manjha,“ made of nylon and other threads gummed or coated with powder glass or metal-coated cotton thread, including non-biodegradable ones.
• It advised to permit “only plain cotton” thread for kite flying.
• Some states/UTs, including Delhi, Haryana, Maharashtra, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Telangana, Tripura, and Chandigarh, already follow such regulations.
• However, the absence of clarity in their respective notifications over threads prompted AWBI advisory.
• Such notifications are issued under the Environment (Protection) Act of 1986.

Chinese manjha Manjha is the thread used for kite flying. Chinese manjha is a glass-coated synthetic string made up of a single fibre of plastic material. They are domestically produced, contrary to what the name suggests. It is cheaper and stronger than the cotton manjha.

Harms of synthetic manjha

• Synthetic manjha has been a cause of injury to humans and animals in several cases.
• Frequent ingestion of Manjha by animals leads to painful, life-threatening complications.
• Manja also causes environmental degradation, traffic accidents, and power failures.