Ahead of Diwali season: Central Pollution Control Board opposes 'green crackers' production over prohibited barium nitrate usage; SC to settle the dispute

Supreme Court will decide whether next-generation green firecrackers can be commercially produced in India after two central government bodies took contradictory positions on the matter. While CSIR-NEERI approved the formulations for reducing pollution, CPCB objected on grounds that they still contain barium nitrate, a chemical the court itself had banned.