On September 7th, 2024, Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav presided over the 4th meeting of the Apex Committee of the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) in Jaipur, coinciding with Swachh Vayu Diwas (International Day of Clean Air for blue skies). He assessed the progress of clean air action plans at the national, state, and city levels across 24 States/UTs and 131 cities. The meeting was also attended by Shri Sanjay Sharma, the State Minister of Environment and Climate Change for the Government of Rajasthan.
It was reported that a performance-based grant of ₹19,612 crore has been allocated to 131 cities under this Programme for implementing city action plans from 2019-20 to 2025-26. So far, ₹11,211 crore has been disbursed to these cities to meet the targets of a 40% reduction or achieving the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) in PM10 levels by 2025-26. The meeting showcased air quality improvement activities in 131 cities, focusing on sectors such as road dust, vehicular pollution, waste management, urban greening, and industrial pollution.
On the occasion of National Swachh Vayu Diwas, chaired the 4th meeting of Apex Committee of National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) in Jaipur.
— Bhupender Yadav (@byadavbjp) September 7, 2024
Reviewed the implementation of national, state and city clean air action plans implemented in 131 cities across India. Congratulated 95… pic.twitter.com/kcXxyeuDJG
Union Minister Bhupender Yadav emphasized the creation of 3,776 hectares of Nagar Van/Vatikas under the Nagar Van Yojana by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) in 64 cities participating in the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP), with a sanctioned amount of ₹142 crore. He encouraged other cities to utilize the resources available under this Scheme to develop green spaces. Additionally, he congratulated nine cities that performed well in the Swachh Vayu Sarvekshan for effectively using resources from Central and State Government schemes and scientifically addressing air pollution reduction measures.
Sh. Yadav appreciated the efforts made by all stakeholders under the programme for improving air quality in 95 cities and 18 cities meeting National Ambient Air Quality Standards in PM10 levels in 2023-24. He informed that 51 cities have reduced 20% reduction and 21 cities have already achieved 40% reduction in PM10 levels.
Union Minister Bhupender Yadav praised the extensive tree plantation drives carried out in 131 cities under the global campaign “Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam,” launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He advised all States and Union Territories to align Central and State Government schemes and programs, emphasizing their importance in tackling air pollution. Additionally, he highlighted a recent initiative to establish a Coordinating Mechanism to address the transboundary movement of air pollution in the Indo-Gangetic Plain (IGP) region, which includes eight States and Union Territories.
Union Minister Bhupender Yadav urged all cities to update their clean action plans on a 100% saturation basis and implement Mission LiFE actions. He called for reforms in waste management, particularly in solid waste, plastic waste, construction and demolition (C&D) waste, e-waste, vehicular pollution, and public awareness to ensure better air quality for all.
During the meeting, several Union Ministries presented their progress and the convergence of schemes implemented in 131 cities:
- Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs highlighted activities under the National Mission on Sustainable Habitat, Swachh Bharat Mission 2.0, AMRUT, Smart City Mission, and PM e-bus Sewa. These activities included urban mobility improvements, solid waste processing, C&D waste remediation, legacy waste remediation, mechanical road sweeping, park and green space creation, and electric bus procurement.
- Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas discussed the status of the city gas distribution network and plans for expanding CNG stations and PNG connections to provide clean fuel. They also highlighted initiatives under the SATAT Scheme to generate CNG from biomass to reduce air pollution.
- Ministry of Road Transport and Highways focused on the vehicle scrapping policy, targeting the phase-out of old vehicles, and the creation of automated testing stations and vehicle scrapping facilities.
- Ministry of Power briefed on the use of biomass in thermal power plants to reduce biomass burning.
Municipal Commissioners from the best-performing cities under Swachh Vayu Sarvekshan, namely Surat, Firozabad, and Raebareli, presented their strategies and success stories in dealing with air pollution.
The meeting was attended by Sh. Sudhansh Pant, Chief Secretary of Rajasthan, Sh. Tanmay Kumar, Chairman of CPCB, senior officers of MoEFCC and CAQM, and various other officials from the Government of Rajasthan and State Pollution Control Boards/Pollution Control Committees of 24 States/UTs.
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