Lok Sabha Question No. 3040 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-03-20
Subject: Air Quality Management in the Country
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT,  FORESTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: Pradeep Kumar Singh, Jugal Kishore Sharma

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION No. 3040

TO BE ANSWERED ON 20.03.2023

## Air Quality Management in the Country

## 3040. SHRI PRADEEP KUMAR SINGH: SHRI JUGAL KISHORE SHARMA:

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

- (a) the  schemes  being  implemented  by  the  Government  to  deal  with  air  pollution  by involving youth of the country;
- (b) the measures taken or being taken by the Government for air quality management in the  country  including  preparation  of  National  Clean  Air  Programme  with  aim  to reduce air pollution increase air quality monitoring network (manual and real time) etc.; and
- (c) the  manner  in  which  the  youth  of  the  country  are  being  educated  to  combat  air pollution and solve air quality challenges as the youth have an important role to play in shaping the future of India with special reference of the youth of Bihar and Jammu and Kashmir?

## ANSWER

MINISTER  OF  STATE  IN  THE  MINISTRY  OF  ENVIRONMENT,  FOREST  AND CLIMATE CHANGE (SHRI ASHWINI KUMAR CHOUBEY)

## (a), (b) &(c):

Ministry of  Environment, Forest and Climate Change  launched National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) in January, 2019 and is long-term, time-bound, national level strategy to improve air  quality  across  the  country  in  a  comprehensive  manner  with  targets  to  achieve reduction  upto  40%  in  Particulate  Matter10  (PM10)  concentrations  or  achieve  National Ambient Air Quality Standards by 2025-26.

283  Continuous  Ambient  Air  Quality  Monitoring  Stations  and  545  Manual  Ambient  Air Quality Monitoring stations have been established in 131 cities covered under NCAP.

MoEFCC has issued guidelines for Capacity Building and Public Outreach under National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) on 10 th August 2022. These guidelines prescribe a strategy for capacity  building  and  public  outreach  programmes  at  City,  State  and  National  level  for creating awareness on air quality management. Under these guidelines, MoEFCC is required to conduct National level capacity building and public outreach programmes. Environmental Departments of respective States/UTs have been mandated to conduct State level workshops on air quality management. Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) are mandated to carry out capacity building and public outreach programmes at city level. MoEFCC has released Rs.1 crore to 24 States/UTs for conducting capacity building and public outreach programmes involving all stakeholders including youth on air quality management on 05 th September 2022.

Bihar  and  Jammu  &Kashmir  have  been  provided  Rs.6.56  crore  and  Rs.30.07  crore  for implementation  of  city  action  plans  for  taking  air  quality  improvement  measures  which include organising awareness programmes on air quality management.Jammu & Kashmir has registered 22,032 eco-clubs involving youth and students for organising awareness programmes in reducing air pollution.

Further,  steps  taken  by  Govt.  to  improve  the  air  quality  to  reduce  vehicular,  industrial emissions are enclosed as Annexure-I.

***

## Annexure I Measures taken by the Government for Air Quality Management

## i. Vehicular Emissions:

-  Leapfrogging from BS-IV to BS-VI norms for fuel and vehicles since April, 2018 in NCT of Delhi and from 1st April, 2020 for rest of the country.
-  Network of metro rails for public transport are enhanced and more cities are covered.
-  Development of Expressways and Highways are also reducing the fuel consumption and pollution.
-  Eastern Peripheral Expressway & Western Peripheral Expressway has been operationalized to divert non destined traffic from Delhi.
-  Ban on all diesel vehicles older than 10  years  and all petrol vehicles older than 15 years, in Delhi and NCR. (Hon'ble SC order dated 29.10.2018).
-  Environment  protection  charges  (EPC)  have  been  imposed  on  diesel  vehicles  with engine capacity of 2000cc and above in Delhi NCR.
-  Introduction of cleaner/alternate fuels like CNG, LPG, ethanol blending in petrol.
-  Permit requirement for electric vehicles has been exempted.
-  Promotion  of  public  transport  and  improvements  in  roads  and  building  of  more bridges to ease congestion on roads.
-  RFID  (radio-frequency  identity)  system  implemented  by  South  Delhi  Municipal Corporation (SDMC) for collection of toll and Environment Compensation Charges from commercial vehicles entering Delhi.
-  Introduction of BS VI compliant vehicles across the country since April, 2020.
-  Sustainable  Alternative  Towards  Affordable  Transportation  (SATAT)  has  been launched as an initiative to set up Compressed Bio-Gas (CBG) production plants and make CBG available in the market for use in automotive fuels.
-  Department  of  Heavy  Industry  is  providing  subsidy  on  e-vehicles  under  Faster Adoption and Manufacture of (Hybrid &) Electric Vehicles in India (FAME -II India) scheme.

## ii. Industrial Emissions:

-  Notification  regarding  SO2  and  NOx  emission  standards  have  been  issued  for Thermal Power Plants
-  Ban on use of pet coke and furnace oil as fuel in NCR States since October 24, 2017 and  ban  on  use  of  imported  pet  coke  in  the  country  since  July  26,  2018,  with exception for use in permitted processes (processes in cement plants, lime kilns and calcium carbide manufacturing units).
-  Shifting of industrial units to PNG.
-  Installation  of  online  continuous  emission  monitoring  devices  in  highly  polluting industries.
-  Brick kilns shift to zig-zag technology or vertical shaft or use Piped Natural Gas as fuel in brick making to reduce pollution.
-  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 developed.
-  Development of low carbon strategies across sectors such as phasing out older coal based power plants, compliance of standards, City Gas Distribution (CGD) network, emphasis on improved power reliability in urban areas, etc.

## iii. Air Pollution due to dust and burning of waste:

-  Notification of seven waste management rules covering solid waste, plastic waste, ewaste, bio-medical waste, C&D waste, hazardous waste and battery waste.
-  Setting up infrastructure such as waste processing plants.
-  Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) for plastic and e-waste management.
-  Ban on burning of biomass/garbage.
-  Bio-mining of three dumpsites at Bhalswa, Okhla and Ghazipur is being carried out.
-  Under 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',  agricultural  machines  and  equipment  for  in-situ  crop  residue management  are  promoted  with  50%  subsidy  to  the  individual  farmers  and  80% subsidy for establishment of Custom Hiring Centers. In 2022, the Scheme has been merged with Sub-Mission on Agricultural Mechanization (SMAM) and SMAM has been merged with RashtriyaKrishiVikasYojana (RKVY).
-  The Commission for Air Quality Management in NCR and Adjoining Areas (CAQM) on 17.09.2021 directed the coal-based Thermal Power plants situated up to a radius of 300 Km of Delhi to co-fire biomass based Pellets, Torrefied Pellets/Briquettes (with focus on paddy straw) with Coal (up to 5-10%).

## iv. Monitoring of Ambient Air Quality:

-  Expansion  of  air  quality  monitoring  network  of  manual  as  well  as  continuous monitoring stations under programmes such as National Air Monitoring Programme (NAMP).
-  Initiation of pilot projects to assess alternate ambient monitoring technologies such as satellite-based monitoring.

## v. National Clean Air Programme:

-  With the prime objective of abating Air Pollution, the Ministry, in 2019 launched a National  Clean  Air  Programme  (NCAP)  as  a  National-level  Strategy  outlining  the actions for reducing the levels of air pollution at city and regional scales in India.
-  NCAP  targets  to achievereduction upto 40%  in  Particulate  Matter10  (PM10) concentrations  or  achieve  National  Ambient  Air  Quality  Standards  by  2025-26  in targeted 131 cities across the country.
-  Under NCAP, Non-attainment cities have been identified based on ambient air quality levels  exceeding  National  Ambient  Air  Quality  Standards  (NAAQS)  which  were notified  to  protect  human  health.  City  Specific  Clean  Air  Action  Plans  have  been prepared  and  rolled  out  for  implementation  in  131  non-attainment  and  million  plus cities.
-  Activities in these cities include strengthening of ambient air quality network, source apportionment studies, dust mitigation equipment, composting units, infrastructure for non-motorized transport, shifting to clean energy in unorganized sectors, etc.
-  The  NCAP  focuses  on  multi-sectoral  sources  of  pollution  including  power  plants, industries, vehicles, open burning of waste, construction & demolition activities, etc.; inter-Ministerial  coordination  for  convergence  of  actions  and  interventions;  and partnership with Institutes of National repute and International Agencies as Knowledge Partners
-  PRANA a portal for monitoring implementation of NCAP has been launched.

## vi. Other Steps:

-  Public Grievances and Response System (PGRS) is developed under NCAP.
-  Emergency Response System (ERS) has been prepared in NCAP cities.
-  Air quality monitoring cell has been constituted across the country in NCAP Cities.
-  Public  Complaints  regarding  air  pollution  issues  in  Delhi  NCR  are  taken  through 'Sameer App', 'Emails' (Aircomplaints.cpcb@gov.in) and 'Social Media Networks' (Facebook and Twitter).
-  Introduction  of  green  crackers  with  low  emission  and  noise  levels.  Green  Crackers have 30% potential reduction of PM and gaseous emissions compared to conventional firework.
-  Ministry is promoting people's participation and awareness building among citizens for environmental conservation through Green Good Deeds that focus on promotion of  cycling,  saving  water  and  electricity,  growing  trees,  proper  maintenance  of vehicles, following of lane discipline and reducing congestion on roads by car-pooling etc.
-  Extension of UjawalaYojana to ensure shifting to cleaner fuel.
-  Swacch Bharat Mission and Waste Management initiatives.
-  The Commission for Air Quality Management in NCR and Adjoining Areas (CAQM) has come out with a policy to curb air pollution in NCR, along with a standard list of approved fuels for NCR for industrial and other applications.