Lok Sabha Question No. 159 (STARRED), answered on 2023-02-13
Subject: Performance-based Grants
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT,  FORESTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: Kirit Premjibhai Solanki

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE

## LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 159

TO BE ANSWERED ON 13.02.2023

## Performance based Grants

- *159.  DR. (PROF.) KIRIT PREMJIBHAI SOLANKI:

Will the Minister of ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE be pleased to state:

- (a) whether there is a mechanism set up to recommend performance-based grants to all 42 Million Plus Cities (MPCs);
- (b) whether the same mechanism is applicable for monitoring other 90 Non-Attainment cities under the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP); and
- (c) the details of the parameters and performance metrics, determining the release of the Ambient Air Quality Grant to Million Plus Cities (MPCs) for the Financial Year 2021-22?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER FOR ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE (SHRI BHUPENDER YADAV)

- (a) to (c)  A Statement is laid on the Table of the House.

***

STATEMENT  REFERRED  TO  IN  REPLY  OF  PARA  (a)  TO  (c)  OF  STARRED QUESTION NO. 159 TO BE ANSWERED ON 13.02.2023 IN LOK SABHA RAISED BY DR.  (PROF.)  KIRIT  PREMJIBHAI  SOLANKI  TITLED  'PERFORMANCE  BASED GRANTS'

(a),  (b)  &  (c): Fifteenth  Finance  Committee  has  recommended  Million-Plus  Cities  Challenge Fund (MCF) of Rs. 12,139 crores to 42 Million Plus Cities /Urban Agglomerations for FY 202122 to 2025-26 as a performance based Ambient Air Quality grant to take measures to improve air quality  in  respective  cities.  Department  of  Expenditure  has  issued  operational  guidelines  vide dated 10.08.2021 for implementation of the recommendations for release of MCF in 42 Million Plus cities/ Urban agglomerations.

Ministry  of  Environment,  Forest  and  Climate  Change  (MoEFCC)  acts  as  nodal  ministry  and recommends the release of MCF based on the performance of cities on air quality in consultation with Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoH&UA) and State Governments.

During  financial  year  2021-22,  release  of  ambient  air  quality  grants  to  Million  plus  Cities (MPCs)/Urban Agglomerations was on the basis of following parameters:

- i. Strengthening of the pollution monitoring mechanisms;
- ii. Source-wise cause analysis for air pollution;
- iii. Progress on action plans and compliance of statutory guidelines;
- iv. Quantification of air quality improvement with the weights

Details of above mentioned parameters and relative weightage for assessment of performance of cities for FY 2021-22 are enclosed at Annexure I .

For 82 non-attainment cities  not  covered  under  XVth  Finance  Commission  grant,  Operational guidelines  for  release  and  utilization  of  funds  under  NCAP  for  82  non-attainment  cities  have been issued by Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.

*****

## Details of parameters for City Performance Assessment for Air Quality grant to Million Plus Cities/Urban Agglomerations

Year-wise weightage for City Performance Assessment is as under:

| Sr. No.   | Parameter 2021                                                  |   2021-22 | 2022- 23   | 2023- 24   | 2024- 25   | 2025- 26   |
|-----------|-----------------------------------------------------------------|-----------|------------|------------|------------|------------|
| A         | Strengthening of the pollution monitoring mechanisms            |        10 | -          | -          | -          | -          |
| B         | Source-wise cause analysis for air pollution                    |        10 | -          | -          | -          | -          |
| C         | Progress on action plans and compliance of statutory guidelines |        10 | -          | -          | -          | -          |
| D         | Quantification of air quality improvement with the weights      |        70 | 100        | 100        | 100        | 100        |
| Total     | Total                                                           |       100 | 100        | 100        | 100        | 100        |

## A. Strengthening of the pollution monitoring mechanisms:

- a. Operationalization of Air Quality Monitoring Cell (AQMC)
- b. IT-Enabled air quality data management Systems
- c. Co-ordination committee reviews including progress and review of City Action Plans including public grievances redressal portal, emergency response and awareness program.

## B. Source-wise cause analysis for air pollution :

- a. Air Quality profiling to identify suitable locations for AQ monitoring station including hotspots.
- b. Source Apportionments Study and establishment of robust emission Inventory system.
- c. Development of IT-based Emission Tracking System

## C. Progress on action plans and compliance of statutory guidelines :

- a. Implementation and updation of City Action Plans
- b. Monitoring of PUC for vehicles
- c. Infrastructure planning and set up of (CAAQMS/ Manual AQMs)

## D. Quantification of air quality improvement with the weights:

Quantification of improvement in air quality has two parts, namely, reduction in particulate matter  (PM10)  and  increase  in  the  good  days  according  to  improvement  in  the  air  quality index  (AQI)  from  the  base year  2019-20.  The  performance  of  the  42  Million-Plus City/agglomeration (Cities/UAs) was assessed at various levels and funds awarded based on the parameters fixed by the 15th Finance Commission in Annexure 7.8, 7.8 A and 7.8 B of Chapter -7, Volume-II of the Final Report.

Evaluation under above mentioned parameter D  and performance metrics used for determining the release of the ambient air quality grants to Million Plus Cities (MPCs) for the

Financial Years 2021-2022 are as under:

## i. Reduction in air pollution levels (particulate matter)

| TableA-PM 10 Annual Average Concentration   | TableA-PM 10 Annual Average Concentration    | TableA-PM 10 Annual Average Concentration   |
|---------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------|
| S.No.                                       | Reduction(%) in annual average concentration | Improvement                                 |
| 1                                           | 15andabove                                   | High                                        |
| 2                                           | <15                                          | Low                                         |

## ii. Frequency of exceedance in AQI levels:

The number of days exceeding AQI (Moderate - 200) out of total number of normal days monitored per year would be graded as under:

| Table B-Good days (AQI<200)   | Table B-Good days (AQI<200)   | Table B-Good days (AQI<200)   |
|-------------------------------|-------------------------------|-------------------------------|
| S.No.                         | Increase in Good days(%)      | Improvement                   |
| 1                             | 15andabove                    | High                          |
| 2                             | <15                           | Low                           |

Based on grading in Table 'A' and Table 'B' above, the combined performance factor for Air  Quality  Management  would  be  graded  and  evaluated  for  the  cities/  UAs  as  per following procedure:

|   S.No. | Reduction (%) in annual average concentration(from Table A)   | Increase in Good days(%) (from Table B)   |   Performance Factor or Score of City (S) |
|---------|---------------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------|
|       1 | High                                                          | High                                      |                                       100 |
|       2 | Low                                                           | High                                      |                                        75 |
|       3 | High                                                          | Low                                       |                                        50 |
|       4 | Low                                                           | Low                                       |                                        25 |

Based on the performance, Million Plus Challenge Fund (MCF) for ambient air quality is to be  released  as  single  instalment  in  each  year  during  the  award  period  in  the  proportion  as given below:

| Table-Fund Allocation to Cities (Performance based)   | Table-Fund Allocation to Cities (Performance based)   |
|-------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------|
| Score of the city, S                                  | Percentage of Fund allocation from 2021-22 onwards    |
| 80-100                                                | 100                                                   |
| 60-80                                                 | 75                                                    |
| 50-60                                                 | 50                                                    |
| 40-50                                                 | 25                                                    |
| Below40                                               | NIL                                                   |