New Delhi, Oct. 24 -- The Union environment ministry has expanded the list of industries under the "white category" -- industries exempted from obtaining both consent to establish (CTE) and consent to operate (CTO) from state pollution control boards. The ministry, in November 2024, had announced the white category industries, which have minimal or negligible pollution potential. In a notification issued on November 12, 2024, the ministry said the exempted industries, include all industrial plants having pollution index score up to 20, subject to the condition that such plants shall inform in writing to the state pollution control boards or the Pollution Control Committees; and plants that have obtained prior environmental clearance. As per the November 2024 notification, 39 sectors were part of the white category. The ministry, in separate notifications issued on October 17 under the Air Act and the Water Act, has now increased the list of white category industries to 86. According to the notification, cement products (without using Asbestos) like pipe, pillar, jafri, well ring, blocks/tiles etc. (<1 tonnes per day (TPD)) which was earlier in the green category is now in the white category. Other sectors part of the white category include: detergent powder manufacturing; bakery, confectionery, and sweets production units having capacity more than 0.5 TPD but less than 1 TPD, and food and food processing unit (having capacity more than 0.5 TPD but less than 1 TPD) using only cleaner fuels. The category features standalone manufacturing of concrete admixtures up to 1000 MT per Month capacity by physical mixing (without boiler and reactor and no generation of wastewater). It also includes compressed Bio Gas plants based on feedstock-Municipal Solid Waste, agro-residue, energy crops grass or weeds, animal waste, press mud, etc. (as similar type feedstock apart from industrial or process waste), not discharging any waste water and producing by-products is also in the new list. HT sent a query to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) seeking details of industries that had been re-categorised, but did not receive a response immediately....