Many advanced economies are moving forward towards standard charging devices and ports stock. The centre is holding various discussions in adopting a universal charger for low-cost feature mobiles.
Smartphone companies and many industrial organisations decided to a phased rollout of a uniform charging port for all the smart devices. At a meeting of the inter-ministerial task force, consumer affairs secretary, Mr.Rohit Kumar Singh announced on Wednesday that India is going to adopt USB-C type as a common charging port for smart devices, including stakeholders reaching a consensus.
The government held wide-ranging consultations for standardisation of charging ports for all compatible smart devices, but it is yet to reach a decision about chargers for low-cost feature phones. Universal chargers consumers will need not require a different charger every time they buy a new device. Besides, the move will also decrease large amounts of e-waste.
According to the reports of ASSOCHAM-EY: Electronic Waste Management in India, India is estimated to generate 5 million tonnes of e-waste in 2021 only behind China and the US. During the meeting, a broad consensus emerged among stakeholders to adopt USB Type-C as a charging port for electronic devices such as smartphones, tablets and laptops.
Later, it was deliberated that a different charging port may be adopted for featured devices, Singh reported. Many advanced economies are moving towards standard charging devices and ports. According to a Bloomberg report, The European Union seeks to make a standard USB-C port for all smart devices. On 7 June, the European Union passed provisional legislation which requires smartphones, including Apple’s iPhone, to be equipped with the USB-C port for wired charging by the mid of 2024.
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In Wednesday’s meeting many representatives from Indian Institute of Technology-Kanpur, Maharaja Agrasen Institute of Technology, Confederation of Indian Industry, Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry, and the ministry of environment, forest and climate change were present. The ministry of consumer affairs has also configured a sub-group to examine the feasibility of uniform charging ports for wearable devices like smart watches.
As a policy for universal chargers in place, Officials hope that the phone-makers will reduce the cost of chargers in product packaging, as most consumers will have the requisite chargers and charging accessories.
