Lok Sabha Question No. 2275 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-08-05
Subject: National Clean Air Programme
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: Shri Rajesh Verma

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

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2275

TO BE ANSWERED ON 05.08.2024

## National Clean Air Programme

## 2275.  SHRI RAJESH VERMA:

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

- (a) the progress made in achieving the targets set by National Clean Air Programme for 20-30 per cent reduction in PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations by 2024;
- (b) whether the Government is aware that the programme is not legally binding with any specified penal action; and
- (c) if so, the measures taken to establish a better enforceable mandate for multi-sectoral intervention in the National Clean Air Programme particularly in Bihar State?

## ANSWER

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

(SHRI KIRTI VARDHAN SINGH)

(a) to (c): Ministry of Environment Forest & Climate Change (MoEF&CC) launched National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) in January 2019, which is a long-term, time-bound national level strategy for prevention, control and abatement of air pollution. Under NCAP, City Action Plans (CAPs) have been put in place in 131 cities. CAPs of 131 cities are implemented through the coordinated actions of the State Governments and their agencies at the State and city levels and through mobilization of resources from convergence of various schemes of the Central Government. Several measures have been taken under NCAP  to ensure effective implementation of multi-sectoral interventions.

95 out of 131 cities showing improvement in air quality in terms of annual PM10 concentrations in FY 2023-24 with respect to the baseline of FY 2017-18. 18 cities have met National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for PM10 (60 µg/m 3 ) in FY 2023-24. 51 cities have shown more than 20% improvement in air quality. List is placed at Annexure - I .

The memorandum of understanding (MoU) has been signed among the Urban Local Bodies (ULB), State Governments and MoEF&CC for cities with million-plus population identified under  Million  Plus  City  Challenge  Fund.  Also,  MoUs  have  been  signed  among  Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), State Pollution Control Boards (SPCBs)/ Pollution Control Committees (PCCs) and ULBs for remaining Non-Attainment Cities (NACs) under NCAP. These  MoUs  detail  out  the  roles  and  responsibilities  of  stakeholders  for  the  effective implementation of various multi-sectoral interventions under NCAP. Further, directions under Section 31A of The Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981 have also been issued to 24 States including Bihar by CPCB, for ground level implementation of approved city action plan for 131 non-attainment and million plus cities focused under the programme.

An amount of Rs. 328.11 Crore has been provided to Bihar State for the implementation of City  Action  Plan.  State  Level  Committees,  namely  Steering  and  Air  Quality  Monitoring Committee,  and  District  level/City  level  Monitoring  Committee  have  been  constituted  for regular monitoring and implementation of City action plans. Further, the measures taken by State of Bihar to improve air quality are enclosed at Annexure - II .

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Cities showing improvement in air quality in terms of annual PM10 concentrations in FY 202324 with respect to the baseline of FY 2017-18

| S. No.   | Improvement in PM 10 in 2023-24 Vs FY 2017-18 (%)   | No. of Cities                                                                                                                                                                                                  |   Cities |
|----------|-----------------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|----------|
| >40      | 21                                                  | Varanasi, Bareily, Firozabad, Dehradun, Dhanbad, Tuticorin, Nalagarh, Moradabad, Khurja, Trichy, Kohima, Lucknow, Kanpur, Kadapa, Sivasagar, Sunder Nagar, Agra, Greater Mumbai, Rishikesh, Parwanoo, Byrnihat |        1 |
| >30-40   | 14                                                  | Jalandhar, Raebareli, Amritsar, Kolkata, Jammu, Silchar, Vijayawada, Naya                                                                                                                                      |        2 |
|          | >20-30 16                                           | Khanna, Durgapur, Kurnool, Dera Baba Nanak, Vadodara, Allahabad, Asansol, Hyderabad, Gorakhpur, Ranchi,                                                                                                        |        3 |

## Measures taken by State of Bihar to improve air quality

-  Restriction of plying of 15 years old diesel driven commercial vehicles (Three-wheeler) for all NACs.
-  Notification of Bihar Cleaner Fuel Policy, 2019: one time subsidy of Rs. 40,000/- for replacement  of  existing  three-wheelers  into  CNG  vehicles,  one  time  conversion incentive of Rs. 20,000/- for conservation of three-wheelers into CNG and one-time subsidy of Rs. 25,000/- for replacement of three-wheelers into new electric vehicle.
-  Restriction of the plying of 15 years old government vehicles in the State.
-  Restriction of plying of diesel driven City buses in Patna UA.
-  New 22 categories of industries are not allowed to be established in the NACs.
-  State EV (Electric Vehicle) policy is notified.
-  National  Scrapping  Policy  has  been  adopted  by  the  State  and  is  implemented.  One Registered Vehicle Scraping Facility (RVSF) is installed in Patna.
-  Use of Pet coke as industrial fuel is banned in the state.
-  All  the  operational brick  kilns  in  the  State  are  directed  to  adopt  and  switch  over  to cleaner technology (Zig-Zag). As on date, about 80% of the total have been converted to the Zig Zag Technology.
-  To tackle the critical air quality scenario in the State 'Graded Response Action Plan' have been implemented by the State Government in all the districts where CAAQMS station is operational.