Himachal Successfully Pilots Digital Deposit Refund System at Mani Mahesh Yatra, 2025

The Department of Environment, Science and Technology, Government of Himachal Pradesh, in collaboration with Healing Himalayas, has successfully piloted the Digital Deposit Refund System (dDRS) at the sacred Mani Mahesh Yatra in Chamba district. This marks Himachal’s first large-scale, technology-driven pilot of a Deposit Refund System, designed to curb plastic waste and safeguard the fragile Himalayan ecosystem.

As part of this initiative, the District Administration, Chamba, declared the 13 km Yatra route from Hadsar to Mani Mahesh Lake a plastic-controlled zone. Every commodity sold or carried during the pilgrimage was mandated to carry a unique QR-coded label, which validated deposit collection under the dDRS framework, ensuring full accountability and traceability.

Impact Highlights

• Over 3 lakh+ QR-coded products were introduced during the 25-day Mani Mahesh Yatra, and 99% of these items were successfully recovered through digital traceability

• Refundable deposits were collected and directly transferred to pilgrims, shopkeepers, and langar organizers through instant UPI transactions, ensuring complete transparency and trust in the system

• 359 shops and 32 langars onboarded, along with participation from mule operators, safari mitras, and local volunteers

• 10 collection centres were established, including a 24/7 facility at Goi Nala

• 100% traceability achieved, with no unscanned or unverified codes

• 20 local green jobs were created and 50+ volunteers from across India were engaged for the pilot.

Mr. Kulbir Rana, ADM Bharmour, Distt. Chamba said: “The Digital Deposit Refund System implemented at the Mani Mahesh Yatra marks a significant step toward sustainable waste management. Despite challenging weather conditions and intermittent network connectivity in remote terrains, the system delivered commendable results through strong coordination and active on-ground participation. If producers and manufacturers integrate QR codes directly onto their products and packaging at the production stage, it will further streamline the process for local retailers and vendors, minimizing manual tagging at the field level. Such collaboration can make future implementations even more efficient and impactful.”

Dr. Suresh Atri, Chief Scientific Officer, Department of Environment, Science & Technology, Himachal Pradesh, said: “The successful implementation of the digital Deposit Refund System at the Mani Mahesh Yatra underscores Himachal Pradesh’s commitment to strengthening Extended Producer Responsibility frameworks and circular economy practices at high-footfall events. The State notified the Deposit Refund Scheme in August and tested the acceptability in one of the most geographic terrains in the Himalayan ecosystem. By combining technology-driven traceability, regulatory enforcement, and community participation, the initiative achieved near 100% compliance in plastic waste recovery. This pilot provides valuable insights into a statewide implementation of DRS under the EPR framework. DRS strengthens the EPR framework by providing traceability and transparency of material channelisation. Every unit sold in Mani Mahesh is accounted for and collected with the help of technology.”

Pradeep Sangwan, Founder- Healing Himalayas, said:  “The Mani Mahesh pilot proves that Himachal Pradesh is ready for large-scale adoption of the Deposit Refund Scheme. This is a definite win for Himachal and sets the stage for how technology can drive accountability, reduce plastic pollution, and engage communities in building a circular economy. We are excited to scale this model across more yatras and states.”