Lok Sabha Question No. 695 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2022-12-12
Subject: Stubble Burning
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT,  FORESTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, Amol Ramsing Kolhe, Sunil Dattatray Tatkare, Subhash Ramrao Bhamre, Gajanan Chandrakant Kirtikar, Supriya Sadanand Sule, Dhanush M Kumar, DNV Senthilkumar. S., C.N. Annadurai, Manjulata Mandal, Kuldeep Rai Sharma, Vijayakumar (alias) Vijay Vasanth

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

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION No. 695 TO BE ANSWERED ON 12.12.2022

## Stubble Burning

## 695. COL. RAJYAVARDHAN RATHORE:

SHRI DHANUSH M. KUMAR:

SHRI SUNIL DATTATRAY TATKARE:

DR. AMOL RAMSING KOLHE:

SHRIMATI SUPRIYA SULE:

SHRIMATI MANJULATA MANDAL:

SHRI C.N. ANNADURAI:

DR. DNV SENTHILKUMAR S.:

DR. SUBHASH RAMRAO BHAMRE:

SHRI GAJANAN KIRTIKAR:

SHRI KULDEEP RAI SHARMA:

SHRI VIJAYAKUMAR ALIAS VIJAYVASANTH:

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

- (a) whether  the  Government  is  aware  of  burning  of  paddy  stubble/crop  residue  in  various States leading to high air pollution level and if so, the data on stubble burning and farm fires during the last three years, State-wise;
- (b) the  total  funds  allocated  and  utilised  for  stubble-management  for  the  last  three  years State-wise  and  whether  the  Government  proposes  to  help  various  sectors  including thermal plants to set up paddy straw pellet unit and if so, the details thereof;
- (c) the  details  of  guidelines  issued  by  the  Government  for  compliance  by  respective  State Governments  towards  prevention  of  burning  of  crop  residues  by  farmers  in  their agricultural fields;
- (d) whether the States have made any concrete development plan to identify the site in each district for removal, collection and storage of crop residue and if so, the details thereof;
- (e) whether the Government has launched Central Sector Scheme to prevent stubble burning and if so, the achievement made during last three years and the current year along with funds allocated for this purpose during this period; and
- (f) the  corrective  steps  taken/proposed  to  be  taken  by  the  Government  and  the  Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) to curb the burning of paddy stubble/crop residue and check the pollution level?

## ANSWER

MINISTER  OF  STATE  IN  THE  MINISTRY  OF  ENVIRONMENT,  FOREST  AND CLIMATE CHANGE

(SHRI ASHWINI KUMAR CHOUBEY)

- (a)

Owing to concerted efforts by all stakeholders and constant monitoring and reviews by the Central  Government,  reduction  in  paddy  stubble  burning  cases  have  been  reported  for  the period  between  15 th September  -  30 th November,  2022  compared  to  the  cases  in  the corresponding  period  in  2021.  The  data  on  stubble  burning  events  State-wise  is  given  as Annexure-I .

(b)

The total funds allocated for stubble-management for the last three years State-wise is given as Annexure-II .  The  Government  has  directed  all  thermal  power  plants  to  install  biomass pellet  manufacturing  plants  (torrefied  /  non-torrified)  in  their  premises  or  in  cluster  based model, including the private sector thermal power plants. The concerned State Governments have been directed to facilitate in providing land for installation of pellet manufacturing unit.

(c)

Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change held meetings with State Governments for environmentally sound management of crop residue/parali including its use as supplementary  fuel,  aimed  at  additional  source  of  income  to  farmers,  better  air  quality, reduced GHG emissions and employment opportunities.Directions  have  been issued to the State Governments of Punjab, Haryana,Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Government of NCT of Delhi toprepare state specific detailed and monitorable action plans, based on followingsix components of the framework i.e. In-situ crop Residue Management, Ex-situ Crop Residue Management, Prohibition of stubble/crop Residue Burning,Effective monitoring/enforcement, Plans /  Schemes  to  reduce  the  generation  ofpaddy  straw  and  IEC activities  for  the  Plan  of  Action.  State  Governments  have  been  advised  to  bring  down  the incidents of stubble burning to minimum levels by adopting all means and methods of stubble management.

(d)

Detailed  state  specific  action  plans  has  been  developed  byPunjab,  Haryana,  Uttar  Pradesh, Rajasthan and Government of NCT of Delhi for2021 and updated action plans for the year 2022  have  been  prepared  by  the  Stateof  Punjab,  Haryana  and  Uttar  Pradesh  (NCR Districts).The  Commission  for  Air  Quality  Management  in  NCR  and  Adjoining  Areas  has issued  statutory  directions  to  the  Chief  Secretaries  ofPunjab,  Haryana,  Uttar  Pradesh, Rajasthan  and  Delhi  on  72.09.2022  for'implementation  and  review  of  the  updated/revised plan of action for preventionand control of stubble burning in 2022'.

(e)

The  Government  has  launched  Central  Sector  Scheme  on  'Promotion  of  Agricultural Mechanization for In-Situ Management of Crop Residue in the States of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar  Pradesh  and  NCT  of  Delhi'  w.  e.  f.  2018-19to  prevent  stubble  burning.The  funds allocated under the scheme for distribution of crop residue management machines on subsidy to  farmers,  establishment  of  Custom  Hiring  Centres  (CHCs)  of  crop  residue  management machines and for undertaking IEC activities for mass awareness of farmers on crop residue managementfor the last three years, State-wise is given as Annexure-II . Out of these funds, during  the  last  4  years,  the  State  Government  of  Punjab,  Haryana  and  Uttar  Pradesh  have established more than 38422 Custom Hiring Centres of crop residue management machinery to provide machines & equipment to the small and marginal farmers on rental basis (Punjab24201 Nos., Haryana- 6775 Nos.and Uttar Pradesh - 7446 Nos). A total of more than 2.07 lakh crop residue management machines have been supplied to these established CHCs and to the individual farmers in these 4 States (Punjab- 89151 Nos., Haryana- 59107 Nos., Uttar Pradesh  -  58708  Nos.  and  NCT  of  Delhi  -  247  Nos)  which  also  include  more  than  3243 Balers & Rakes (Punjab -575 Nos., Haryana -1587 Nos., Uttar Pradesh - 1080 Nos and NCT of Delhi - 01 No.).

(f) The corrective steps taken/proposed to be taken by the Government and the Central Pollution Control  Board  (CPCB)  to  curb  the  burning  of  paddy  stubble/crop  residue  and  check  the pollution level is given as Annexure-III .

*****

| States                         |   2020 |   2021 |   2022 |
|--------------------------------|--------|--------|--------|
| Punjab                         |  83002 |  71304 |  49922 |
| Haryana (15 Sep- 30 Nov)       |   4202 |   6987 |   3661 |
| Uttar Pradesh (15 Sep- 30 Nov) |   4631 |   4242 |   3017 |
| Delhi (15 Sep- 30 Nov)         |      9 |      4 |     10 |
| Rajasthan (15 Sep- 30 Nov)     |   1756 |   1350 |   1268 |

The State-wise and year-wise funds released are as under:

## Annexure-II

| Year    | Funds Released (Rs. in Crores)   | Funds Released (Rs. in Crores)   | Funds Released (Rs. in Crores)   | Funds Released (Rs. in Crores)   | Funds Released (Rs. in Crores)   | Funds Released (Rs. in Crores)   |
|---------|----------------------------------|----------------------------------|----------------------------------|----------------------------------|----------------------------------|----------------------------------|
| Year    | Punjab                           | Haryana                          | Uttar Pradesh                    | NCT of Delhi                     | ICAR & Others                    | Total                            |
| 2018-19 | 269.38                           | 137.84                           | 148.60                           | 0.00                             | 28.51                            | 584.33                           |
| 2019-20 | 273.80                           | 192.06                           | 105.28                           | 4.52                             | 18.48                            | 594.14                           |
| 2020-21 | 272.50                           | 170.00                           | 120.20                           | 0.00                             | 8.00                             | 570.70                           |
| 2021-22 | 331.94                           | 193.35                           | 159.59                           | 0.00                             | 6.02                             | 690.90                           |
| 2022-23 | 278.83                           | 223.46                           | 180.00                           | 1.53                             | 14.28                            | 698.10                           |
| Total   | 1426.45                          | 916.71                           | 713.67                           | 6.05                             | 75.29                            | 3138.17                          |

## The steps taken/proposed to be taken by the Government and the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) to curb the burning of paddy stubble/crop residue and check the pollution level

- I. High  Level  Task  Force  Meeting  under  Principal  Secretary  to  Hon'ble  Prime Minister held on 14.10.2022 for Air Quality Management in Delhi and NCR and Adjoining Areas (CAQM)
- II. Department-related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Science and Technology, Environment, Forest  and Climate Change on (i) the preparation for preventing winter pollution in north India and (ii) review of the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) held on 17.10.2022 under the Chairmanship of Shri Jairam Ramesh, Parliamentary Standing Committee.
- III. Launched National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) in January 2019 to tackle the problem of air pollution in a comprehensive manner with targets to achieve 20 to 30 % reduction in PM10 and PM2.5 concentrations by 2024 keeping 2017 as base year.
- IV. Constitution  of  Commission  for  Air  Quality  Improvement  in  National  Capital Region and Adjoining Area (CAQM) through an Act passed by the Parliament of India  on  13.08.2021,  for  the  purpose  of  improving  the  Air  Quality  in  National Capital Region and Adjoining Areas.
- V. Interaction Ministry (MoEF&CC)  with  concerned agencies/organisation and Ministries at Central and State level to assess the preparedness of policy makers, enforcement agencies and regulatory bodies in order to tackle the problem of Air Pollution in Delhi NCR initiated interaction.
- VI. More than 20 meetings held involving the State agencies, NGOs, SPCBs and the Commission  for  Air Quality Management  in  National  Capital  Region and Adjoining Areas (CAQM) since 14 th August, 2021.
- VII. Some of the initiatives taken in these meetings including options to promote use of paddy straw as alternate resource as fuel and fodder are as below:
- i. Joint  ministerial  meeting  with  Central  Ministries  like  Agricultural  &  Farmer Welfare,  Fisheries,  Animal  Husbandry  &  Dairying,  Power,  Railways  to explore the possibilities of policy interventions and strengthening of existing schemes.
- ii. Hon'ble Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change held meetings with  Chief  Ministers,  Environment  Ministers  and  Chief  Secretaries  of  NCR States  including  Punjab,  followed  by  meeting  of  Commission  with  Chief Secretaries, State departments and Local Administrations.
- iii. To encourage use of Stubble as supplementary bio-mass fuel in thermal power plants (TPPs) in NCR. Subsequently, preparedness was reviewed for all TPPs (within 300 Km of NCT) by Minister of Power. NTPC floated tender buying contract for Stubble based bio-mass pellets to be used as supplementary fuel. This  will  help  in  environmentally  sound  Stubble  management  with  added income  to farmers and discourage Stubble burning, resulting in lesser contribution to emission load in coming years.
- iv. Operationalization of a Centralised Control room in Ministry of Agriculture & Farmer  Welfare  to  co-ordinate  with  State  and  Central  agencies  to  prevent stubble burning.
- v. Increase  coverage  area  for  in-situ  Stubble  management  using  proven  PUSA technology for bio-decomposing (Government and NGOs).
- vi. Task Force constituted  for  collection  of  Stubble  in  Punjab  and  Haryana  and supply as fodder to fodder deficient region of Rajasthan and Gujarat.
- VIII. Review meetingsonmanagement of air quality in Delhi NCR held on 20-May-22, 22-June-22, 22-Jul-2022, 23-Aug-22, 22-Sep-22 and 30-Sep-22 with the following agenda:
15. (i) Limiting the use of DG Sets, uninterrupted power supply in the region
16. (ii) Revision  /  updating  of  action  plan  for  prevention  and  control  of  Paddy Stubble Burning in 2022 and up scaling Ex-Situ Management of paddy straw
17. (iii) Extended use of Pusa Bio-Decomposer for In-Situ Crop Residue Management
18. (iv) Management  of  dust  from  roads,  central  verges,  sidewalks  and  open  area along the right of ways
19. (v) Utilization  of  Parali  for  production  of  Bio-fuel  and  ethanol  to  be  used  in Boilers and development of market mechanism for the purpose
20. (vi) Shifting of industries of NCR to CNG / Cleaner fuel etc.
- IX. Minister level Inter-Ministerial Meeting held on 03.10.2022 on the management of crop residue burningunder the co-chairmanshipHMoP, HMEF&CC, HMoA&FW
- X. Meeting of Hon'ble Ministers of Environment of the States of NCR, Punjab and NCT Delhi held under the Chairmanship of HMEF&CC on 11.10.2022 to review Air  Quality  Management  in the  NCR  region  under  the Chairmanship  of  Hon'ble MEF&CC.
- XI. Minister  level  Inter-Ministerial  Meeting  on  the  management  of  crop  residue burningwas held on 03.10.2022 on the management of crop residue burning under the co-chairmanship HMoA&FW, HMEF&CC, HMoFAH&D.

## XII. Various actions taken is summarised as under:

Prevention and control of paddy stubble burning

- o Framework for Prevention and control of paddy stubble burning prepared after extensive consultation with State Governments of Punjab, NCR States, GNCTD and Central Ministries, Knowledge institutions namely ICAR, IARI, ISRO etc.
- o Major components of the Framework:
-  Plans to reduce generation of paddy straw (diversification to other crops and to other varieties).
-  In-situ Crop Residue Management
-  Ex-situ Crop Residue Management
-  Monitoring/Effective enforcement.
-  IEC activities.
- o Statutory Directions to develop detailed state specific Action Plans based on the Framework.  Plans finalized for Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh for 2022, based on the framework and also field learnings from the year 2021. The plans include a futuristic policy for ex-situ utilization of paddy straw.
- o Statutory directions issued for mandatory co-firing of biomass with coal (@510%) in thermal power plants located within 300 kms. of Delhi.
- o Statutory Directions issued for effective implementation of action plans for the prevention and control of Stubble Burning.
- o Standard ISRO  protocol developed for monitoring fire events. Statutory Directions issued for adoption of the protocol for recording of fire events using satellite data.
- o Close monitoring by CAQM of the daily fire counts - regular follow up with the State Governments.
- o The  Commission  has  evolved  a  comprehensive  policy  in  July,  2022  towards short-term/ medium-term/ long-term actions to abate air pollution in the region across all contributing sectors.

## Control of industrial emissions

- o Statutory Directions issued for implementing  the  'Standard'  fuel  list of approved clean fuels in NCR and phasing out heavily polluting fossil fuels like coal, diesel oil, LDO etc.
- o Statutory Directions for industries to shift to approved fuels, by 30.09.2022 (for areas  where  gas  infrastructure  is  available)  and  by  31.12.2022,  where  gas infrastructure is still not available.

## Directions/ Regulations for use of Power Generating Sets

- o No restrictions on generator sets running on LPG/Natural gas, Butane/Propane/Biogas
- o Uninterrupted  use  of  DG  sets  permitted  only  for  emergency  services  during GRAP.
- o DISCOMS to ensure uninterrupted power supply in  NCR to  minimize use of DG Sets.
- o Regulated use of DG Sets for industrial sector during GRAP for limited time subject to retro fitment of Emission Control Devices (ECD) and running on dual fuel mode (gas and diesel)

Control of vehicular pollution

- o Hon'ble NGT's and Hon'ble Supreme Court's orders do not permit overaged vehicles (15/10 yrs. for petrol / diesel vehicles respectively) to run in NCR.
- o Advisory issued by Commission for developing suitable EV policies, focusing on mandatory procurement of e-vehicles for various sectors.
- o Transition to CNG / cleaner vehicles also in outer NCR.
- o Effective PUC regime - control on polluting vehicles

Dust management from roads and open areas and from construction and demolitionactivities

- (i) Road dust management
- o Statutory directions to all road owning/ maintaining agencies for setting up of 'Dust Control and Management Cells' (DCMCs).
- o Key actions for DCMCs:
-  Optimum utilization of road sweeping machines
-  Scientific disposal of dust collected
-  Sprinkling of water and dust suppressants on roads / right of ways
-  Augmentation of sweeping and sprinkling machines
-  Proper maintenance of roads and also keep road pothole free
-  Laying of roads to fully support mechanised sweeping.
-  Non-paved road sides to be paved or converted into green
-  Greening of central verges / plantation of trees
-  Cemented roads in industrial areas.
-  Identification of hot spots and implement specific road dust control measures
- o Sixty (60) 'Dust Control and Management Cells' set up.
- (ii) Dust management from C&D projects:
- o Statutory  directions  issued  mandatory  registration  of  projects  on  plot  size  is equal to or more than 500 sqmtr. on the C&D web portal.
- o Web portals functional in Delhi, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh. Under development in Rajasthan.
- o Self-certification by the proponents on the portal.
- o Cross  Verification  of  the  parameters  as  certified  on  the  portal  vis-à-vis  the ground conditions.
- o Compliances  related  to  various  rules  and  guidelines  related  to  effective  dust mitigation  measures  at  C&D  sites  viz.  Wind  breakers,  dust  screens,  water sprinkling, dust suppressants and soil stabilization measures etc.
- o Deployment of adequate numbers of anti-smog guns, in proportion to the area of the construction sites.
-  At least 1 for a total construction area between 5000 - 10000 sqm.
-  At least 2 for a total construction area between 10001- 15000 sqm.
-  At least 3 for a total construction area between 15001- 20000 sqm.
-  At least 4 for a total construction Area 20,000 sqm.
- o Compliance  of  guidelines  for  covering  of  construction  materials  with  dust potential.
- o Transportation of C&D materials in covered vehicles.

-  NCT of Delhi

: 11

-  Uttar Pradesh

: 18

-  Haryana

: 17

-  Rajasthan

: 14

## Other matters:

- (i) Revised Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP)
- o Revised GRAP based on Delhi's AQI as against PM2.5 / PM10 levels earlier.
- o Preventive / restrictive / prohibitive actions under 4 different stages (I-IV) w.e.f. 01.10.2022.
- o Daily forecasts by IMD/ IITM started.
- o Sub-Committee for invoking GRAP meeting regularly for invoking the GRAP actions, based on the AQI forecast.
- o Actions under Stage II, III and IV of the GRAP to be invoked at least three days in advance of the AQI reaching to the projected levels of that stage, based on the forecast.
-  24 action points under Stage-I 'Poor' (AQI 201-300)
-  12 action points under Stage- II 'Very Poor' (AQI 301-400)
-  9 action points under Stage III 'Severe' (AQI 401-450)
-  8 action points under Stage IV 'Severe+' (AQI>450)
- (ii) Prevention of open burning of solid waste and bio-mass Desired Actions:
-  Intensified inspections / monitoring during winters.
-  Proper collection, segregation and disposal of solid waste.
-  Proper clearance of leaves, twigs etc. after road cleaning activities.
- (iii) Prevention of air pollution through fire crackers Desired Actions:
-  Strict implementation of Hon'ble Supreme Court / NGT orders on use of fire crackers.
-  Enforce ban on use of fire crackers wherever imposed.

## XIII. Action taken by Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB):

- o Air Quality Monitoring and Network

National  Air  Quality  Index  (AQI)  was  launched  in  2015.  Information  is  being disseminated to public through daily air quality bulletins.

- o Ambient Air Quality Network:
- (i) Ambient  air  quality  monitoring  network  in  Delhi  NCR  strengthened  and presently  comprises  143  stations  (81  continuous  and  62  manual  systems). Larger coverage and better representative data is now available.
- (ii) In  addition,  to  supplement  conventional  ground  level  monitoring,  satellite based PM2.5 monitoring in collaboration IIT Delhi is being established using aerosol optical depth (AOD).
- (iii)A  Central  Control  Room  is  operated  by  Central  Pollution  Control  Board wherein, hour to hour tracking of various information such as  PM concentrations,  Live  Air  Quality  Data  of  Monitoring  stations,  Live  Air Quality Index, Air Quality Forecast in Delhi-NCR (Source: SAFAR, IITM, Pune) is available.
- (iv) AQI  is  monitored  along  with  other  parameters  and  is  published  on  the website in  the  form  of  AQI  Bulletin  after  analysis.  The  links  for  the  same have been made available to CAQM for consideration and deciding on urgent actions for control of pollution in Delhi-NCR.
- o Measures for control of vehicular emissions:
- (i) Installation of Vapour Recovery System (VRS) in 3,600 petrol pumps
- (ii) New policy - VRS to be installed at new petrol pumps
- a. selling >100kl per month in million plus cities
- b. selling >300kl per month in cities with population between 1 lakh to 1 million
- (iii) Directions  issued  to  M/s  IOCL,  M/s  BPCL,  M/s  HPCL,  M/s  RIL,  M/s Shell, M/s Nayara for installation of VRS as per above mentioned criteria
- (iv) Guidelines  issued  for  setting  up  of  new  petrol  pumps  including  siting criteria
- (v) Guidelines  issued  for  siting  criteria  for  new  petrol  pumps  around  water bodies
- o Measures for control of industrial emission:
- (i) MoEF&CC has notified emission standards for industrial boilers and five industrial  sectors  i.e.  lime  kiln,  foundry,  ceramic,  glass  and  reheating furnaces, in the year 2018.
- (ii) Installation  of  OCEMS  in  red  category  industries  in  Delhi-NCR  is  in progress.
- (iii)Industrial units in Delhi have shifted to PNG/cleaner fuels whereas, units in NCR shall shift to PNG/Biomass latest by December 31, 2022.
- (iv) Shifting  of  all  operational  brick  kilns  to  zig-zag  technology  in  Delhi  and NCR.
- (v) CPCB has come out with System and Procedure for Emission Compliance Testing  of  Retro-fit  Emission  Control  Devices  (RECD)  for  Diesel  Power Generating Set Engines up to Gross Mechanical Power 800 kW.
- o Measures for Control of Emissions from Stubble Burning
- (i) Daily  monitoring  of  Active  Fire  Events  (AFEs)  is  done  during  stubble burning  period  and  reports  are  shared  with  Commission  on  Air  Quality Management in National Capital Region and Adjoining areas for suitable action.
- (ii) CPCB framed  guidelines  for  promoting  setting  up  of  paddy  straw  based pelletization  and  Torrefaction  plants  which  may  help  in  addressing  the supply  chain  issues.  Scheme  will  address  the  issue  of  open  burning  of paddy straw in agriculture fields in Northern Region. A corpus of Rs. 50 crores have been sanctioned from EPC  funds. Assuming complete utilization of the corpus, over 1 million metric tonnes of paddy straw based pellets are expected to be generated every year.
- o MSW, C&D Waste, E- Waste, Biomedical Waste and Hazardous Waste:
- (i) CPCB published guidelines on
-  Environmental  Management  of  Construction  &  Demolition  (C  &  D) Wastes' in March, 2017
-  'Guidelines  on  DUST  Mitigation  Measures  in  Handling  Construction Material & C&D Wastes' in November 2017.
-  Disposal  of  legacy  waste  by  bio-mining  and  bio-remediation  to  address open burning and landfill fires
-  Deployment  of  Anti-Smog  Gun  at  large  construction  projects  sites i n  all construction  projects  in  Delhi-NCR  having  more  than  20,000  sq.  meters' built-up area
- (ii) Extended  Producer  Responsibility  (EPR)  for  plastic,  waste  tyre,  batteries and e-waste management.

(iii)Ban on use of Single Use Plastic (SUP) w.e.f. July 01, 2022.

- o Technical Interventions
- (i) Advisory have been issued to State Boards to use dust suppressant as about 30%  reduction  in  dust  concentration  was  observed  up  to  6  hours  after application of dust suppressant.
- (ii) A pilot Smog tower has been commissioned at AnandVihar, ISBT and is being  operated  since  October  01,  2021.  Localized  pollution  reduction performance being evaluated by IIT Bombay in association with IIT Delhi.
- (iii)Research  projects  are  being  carried  out  by  CPCB  in  collaboration  with premier  institutions  like  IIT,  NEERI,  etc.  under  Environment  Protection Charge  (EPC)  funds  which  provide  scientific  inputs  for  taking  focused action towards improvement in air quality of Delhi NCR.
- (iv) CPCB has initiated issuance of a daily report comprising of AQI of Delhi and NCR  towns, comparative AQI  status, year-wise trends of  PM concentration,  hotspots  for  the  day,  AFE  counts,  contribution  of  stubble burning and meteorological forecast. This report is prepared based on the inputs available from various sources such as IMD, SAFAR, IARI, etc., and disseminated through CPCB website.
- o Close Monitoring & Ground level implementation
- (i) Central Pollution Control Board has been continuously deploying dedicated CPCB's teams on the field during the winter season from 2017 onwards to check on-ground scenario of air pollution related activities and refer these to implementing agencies for necessary action.
- (ii) 03.12.2021  onwards  40  officers  of  CPCB  have  been  deployed  as  flying squads, for conducting incognito inspection of units/sites in various areas of Delhi, NCR regions of Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, and Rajasthan. Reports are submitted to Commission on Air Quality Management in National Capital Region and Adjoining areas for further action.
- o Regular Stakeholder Consultation, Public & Media Outreach
- (i) Continuous  interactions  and  coordination  with  government  bodies,  public agencies, urban local bodies for assessment of mitigation measures and to combat air pollution through review meetings for air quality management in Delhi-NCR. 41 review meetings convened as on date.
- (ii) Twitter and Facebook accounts for public outreach and complaint redressal are closely monitored and complaints resolved through concerned enforcement agencies.
- (iii) Dedicated media corner on CPCB website informs latest developments and actions taken.  Media briefings are also organized.
- o Regulatory Actions
- (i) Graded  Response  Action  Plan  (GRAP)  was  prepared  for  implementation under  different  Air  Quality  Index  (AQI)  categories  in  pursuant  to  the Hon'ble Supreme Court's Order dated December 02, 2016. A Task Force, headed by CPCB and comprising of members from Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC), State Pollution Control Boards (SPCBs) of Haryana, Uttar  Pradesh  &  Rajasthan,  India  Meteorology  Department  (IMD)  and Health Expert was constituted for recommending measures under GRAP to EPCA. 68 meetings of the Task Force were held until EPCA was dissolved on promulgation of Commission for Air Quality Management in NCR and Adjoining Areas (CAQM).
- (ii) Subsequently, Commission on Air Quality Management in National Capital Region and Adjoining areas (CAQM) entrusted the task of operationalizing and monitoring the GRAP measures to CPCB till a mechanism is set up. CPCB  reviewed  air  quality  and  meteorological  scenario  and  issued  the orders  on  11.11.2020,  23.12.2020  and  15.01.2021  to  all  the  concerned states.
- (iii) CPCB had requested MoEF&CC for revision of GRAP and further, CPCB has prepared revised action plan which was forwarded to the Commission for  Air  Quality  Management  in  NCR  and  Adjoining  Areas  for  taking  it further. Subsequently, based on the inputs of CPCB  and detailed deliberations, a revised GRAP  has been published by  CAQM  on 05.08.2022, which came into effect from 01.10.2022.
- (iv) The Commission for Air Quality Management in NCR and Adjoining Areas (CAQM)  constituted  a  sub-committee  for  operationalization  of  GRAP under  chairmanship  of  Member  Secretary,  CPCB  and  issuing  necessary orders to the effect, under which regular meetings are held, and Orders are issued under GRAP for mitigation of air pollution in Delhi-NCR. The subcommittee  has  since  then  been  reconstituted,  under  the  chairmanship  of Member-Technical, CAQM vide order dated 06.09.2022.
- (v) Comprehensive  Action  Plan  (CAP)  for  air  pollution  control  in  Delhi  & NCR  is developed by MOEF&CC  which  identified timelines and implementing agency for actions identified. CPCB issues directions to all the concerned agencies under Section 3 and 5 of Environmental (Protection)  Act,  1986  for  implementation  of  Comprehensive  action  plan. Now, CAQM is looking after implementation of CAP.
- o Other Actions

Dedicated media corner, twitter and Facebook accounts have been created for  public  outreach  and  complaint  redressal  is  closely  monitoring  the complaints  on  SAMEER  app  and  social  media  platforms  (Twitter  & Facebook).  Sameer  and  social  media  complaints  are  resolved  through enforcement  agencies  and  redressal  status  is  being  shared  with  respective agencies.

- (i) National  Air  Quality  Index  (AQI)  which  was  launched  in  2015  is  being disseminated to public through daily air quality bulletins.
- (ii) Ambient Air Quality Network: Ambient air quality monitoring network in Delhi NCR  strengthened and presently comprises 143 stations (81 continuous and 62 manual systems). Larger coverage and better representative data is now available.
- (iii) In  addition,  to  supplement  conventional  ground  level  monitoring,  satellite based  PM2.5  monitoring  in  collaboration  IIT  Delhi  is  being  established using aerosol optical depth (AOD).
- (iv) A Central  Control  Room  is  operated  by  Central  Pollution  Control  Board wherein, hour to hour tracking of  various  information  such  as  PM concentrations,  Live  Air  Quality  Data  of  Monitoring  stations,  Live  Air Quality Index, Air Quality Forecast in Delhi-NCR (Source: SAFAR, IITM, Pune) is available.
- (v) AQI  is  monitored  along  with  other  parameters  and  is  published  on  the website in the form of AQI Bulletin after analysis. The links for the same have  been  made  available  to  CAQM  for  consideration  and  deciding  on urgent actions for control of pollution in Delhi-NCR.

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