Lok Sabha Question No. 2430 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-08-04
Subject: Air Pollution
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: Ms. Mahua Moitra

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2430

TO BE ANSWERED ON 04.08.2025

## Air Pollution

## 2430.  MS MAHUA MOITRA:

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

- (a) the reasons that the Government is not proposing to regulate the statutorily mandated "Air Pollution Control Areas" and instead is experimenting with huge loan driven air shed management strategy in the Indo Gangetic plain;
- (b) whether  there  is  a  need  to  rehaul  the  Air  Act,  1981  and  move  away  from  only programmatic approaches to curb air pollution which has become such a hazardous and lethal means affecting public health;
- (c) whether the Government is proposing to bring a robust Coastal Management Act for the country, if so, the details thereof;
- (d) whether the Government proposes to revive the State Land Use Boards (SLUBs) to understand and decide the utility of the land in the most efficient way to curb unbridled and unplanned growth;
- (e) whether  the  Government  proposes  to  recommend  all  the  States  to  formulate  the Biodiversity Heritage Rules, and prepare a management plan for Biodiversity Heritage Sites under Section 37 of Biodiversity Act, 2002;
- (f) whether  the  Government  proposes  to  implement  Biodiversity  Impact  Assessment process with robust framework to preserve Biodiversity Heritage; and
- (g) if  so,  the  details thereof particularly focusing on amending the provisions of the Act which allows exemption to certain infrastructural Rail and Road projects?

## ANSWER

MINISTER  OF  STATE  IN  THE  MINISTRY  OF  ENVIRONMENT,  FOREST  AND CLIMATE CHANGE (SHRI KIRTI VARDHAN SINGH)

(a) & (b): Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) have demarcated the critically polluted areas and severally polluted areas in the country based on the Comprehensive Environment Pollution Index (CEPI). Central Pollution Control Board under the powers conferred section 18(1) of Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981 has issued directions to the State Pollution Control Boards to prepare action plans and implement to bring down CEPI scores in the  critically  as  well  as  severally  polluted  areas.  Further,  Air  (Prevention  and  Control  of Pollution)  Act,  1981  has  provided  sufficient  legal  provisions  for  the  Central  Government,

Central Pollution Control Board, State Governments and the State Pollution Control Boards (SPCB) to control and abatement of air pollution.

Under the said Act, Central Pollution Control Board has been mandated to plan and execute nationwide programme for prevention, control and abatement of pollution, laydown standards for quality of air and establish laboratories to perform its functions. CPCB also advises central government on matter concerning improvement of air quality.

State Government has been provided statutory power under the Act to declare air pollution control areas or alter any air pollution control area. Further, the State Government may issue directions to regulate and prohibit the use of any appliance used in such air pollution control area. Also, State Government may prohibit use of any fuel other than approved fuels in such air pollution control areas.

State Pollution Control Board under the said Act has been provided the mandate to advise the State  Government  regarding  matters  concerning  prevention  and  control  of  pollution  and suitability  of location  for  carrying  on  any  industries  likely  to  cause  air  pollution,  lay  down standards for air quality, standards for emission of air pollutants from industrial plants and automobiles or for the discharge of any pollutant and from any other source, to inspect the air pollution control areas, to plan and execute comprehensive plan for control and abatement of air pollution, regulate the industrial pollution through consent and, to collect and disseminate information related to air pollution.

To address air pollution in urban areas, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) launched National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) in January 2019 and it aims to improve air quality in 130 non-attainment and Million-Plus Cities in 24 States/UTs.

Performance linked grant of ₹ 13,036.52 crore has been provided to 130 cities during 2019-20 till date, as a critical gap funding to implement air quality improvement measures. The focused actions  by  130  cities  under  NCAP  have  shown  positive  results  with  103  cities  showing reduction in PM10 concentration in 2024-25 with respect to 2017-18, out of which 64 cities have shown reduction in PM10 levels by more than 20% and 25 of these cities have achieved a reduction of more than 40%. A total of 22 Cities have met National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) and have PM10 Concentrations less than 60 µg/m3.

Further, the programme leverages mobilisation of resources through convergence of various schemes of Central Government such as Swachh Bharat Mission (Urban), AMRUT, Smart City Mission, PM  e-Bus  Sewa,  Sustainable  Alternative  Towards  Affordable  Transportation (SATAT), and Nagar Van Yojana, as well as resources of State Govts. / UT administration, Municipal  Corporations  and  other  developmental  authorities  for  implementation  of  action plans. Under NCAP, an amount of Rs. 5,318 crore have been provided to 8 States/UTs that are part of Indo-Gangetic Plain to implement city action plan of 41 targeted cities. Further, State action plans have been prepared by all 8 States/UTs of IGP region to implement air quality improvement measures.

In addition to the funds provided under NCAP as well as Central Government Schemes, State Governments, if required, may mobilise resources through various financial instruments such as Green Municipal Bonds, Green Debt Securities, Public Private Partnership projects and soft loans  as  per  their  needs  to  develop  urban  infrastructure  and  to  implement  air  pollution mitigation measures.

(c): MoEFCC has been implementing the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) Notification since 1991. This was later replaced by the CRZ/IPZ Notification, 2011, and subsequently by the CRZ/ICRZ  Notification,  2019,  which  places  greater  emphasis  on  the  conservation  and management of Ecologically Sensitive Areas (ESAs).

Under the 2019 Notification, all coastal States and Union Territories are required to revise and update their Coastal Zone Management Plans (CZMPs), Island Coastal Regulation Zone Plans (ICRZPs), or Integrated Island Management Plans (IIMPs) in line with the updated provisions and  submit  them  for  approval  to  the  Ministry.  Until  these  plans  are  approved,  the  2011 Notification  provisions  continue  to  apply. As  of  now,  the  CZMPs  for  Odisha,  Karnataka, Maharashtra, and Kerala, and the ICRZPs for Great Nicobar and Little Andaman have been approved by the Ministry under the 2019 Notification.

(d): State Land Use Boards are constituted by State Govt. under respective Town Planning and Land Development laws.  Ministry  of  Housing  and  Urban  Development  issued  'Urban  and Regional  Development  Plans  Formulation  and  Implementation  Guidelines'  for  adoption  by State Govts. to promote sustainable regional and urban planning and development including land use planning.

## (e), (f) & (g):

Section  37  of  the  Biological  Diversity  Act,  2002  (as  amended  in  2023)  empowers  State Government to notify areas of biodiversity importance as biodiversity heritage sites based on recommendations  from  State  Biodiversity  Board.  Further,  Section  37  enables  the  State Government in consultation with the Central Government to frame rules for the management and conservation of all the biodiversity heritage sites.

Clause (i) of sub-section (4) of Section 36 of the said Act, mandates the Central Government to undertake measures for the assessment of environmental impact of a project likely to have an adverse effect on biological diversity, with a view to avoid or minimise such effects, wherever required and provide for public participation  in such assessment, where appropriate.