This isn't the first time quasi-idealist and populist declarations were made by a high-level statesman in India. In 2016, Prime Minister Modi’s demonetisation initiative that promised to end corruption ended in a regressive economic rate and a disaster for banks, retailers, and consumers alike.

It may come as a surprise that single-use plastic had already been banned in 25 of the 29 states in India, long before the environment minister’s remarks. States like Punjab, Karnataka, and now Maharashtra have already banned single-use plastics.

Yet in the former two, the enforcement of the ban is so hilariously non-existent, that many of their long-term residents don't know about the ban's existence.

Maharashtra, which enforced the ban in March this year, recently extended the deadline for usage of plastic bags after intense corporate lobbying.