Lok Sabha Question No. 1438 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-02-09
Subject: Check on Pollution
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: Shri Jagadish Shettar, Shri Subbarayan K, Shri Khalilur Rahaman, Com. Selvaraj V, Dr. Kalanidhi Veeraswamy

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1438

TO BE ANSWERED ON 09.02.2026

## Check on Pollution

## 1438.  DR. KALANIDHI VEERASWAMY:

SHRI KHALILUR RAHAMAN:

COM. SELV ARAJ V:

SHRI SUBBARAYAN K:

SHRI JAGADISH SHETTAR:

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

- (a) whether it is a fact that over the last decade since 2011, China has sharply reduced urban PM2.5 levels  by  32  per  cent  and  globally  by  about  10  per  cent  whereas  India's  average  has  barely changed by only 0.4 percent during this period;
- (b) whether it is also a fact that in many of the cities in the country like Pune, Surat, Hyderabad etc. the PM2.5 level has stagnated or worsened during this period;
- (c) the current levels of air pollution (PM2.5, PM10, NO₂, SO₂) in major cities and industrial hubs across the country, as per the latest monitoring data;
- (d) the reasons why air pollution levels continue to remain above the National Ambient Air Quality Standards in several cities despite existing regulations;
- (e) the details of the provisions of penalty under the law for polluting industries, the total number of industries and vehicles penalized for violating emission norms during in the last three years, State/UT-wise; and
- (f) the steps taken or proposed by the Ministry to reduce air pollution, particularly in Delhi-NCR, Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai and other urban areas facing severe pollution?

## ANSWER

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

- (a)  to  (f): Pollution  levels  across  countries  are  not  directly  comparable  due  to  differences  in geographical settings, weather conditions, and national circumstances. Air pollution is a collective result of multiple factors including geographical factors, high level of anthropogenic activities in the high-density populated areas, arising from various sectors viz. Vehicular Pollution, Industrial Pollution, Dust from Construction and Demolition Project activities, Road and Open Areas Dust, Biomass Burning, Municipal Solid  Waste burning, Fires in Landfills, air pollution from dispersed sources, etc.

Government of India has launched the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) in 2019 as a longterm, time-bound, national-level strategy to address air pollution in 130 non-attainment and million plus cities/urban agglomeration in 24 States/UTs which includes 06 Cities of  Delhi NCR, Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai, Pune, Surat, Hyderabad.

City  Specific  Clean  Air  Action  Plans  have  been  prepared  by  all  130  cities  under  NCAP  to implement air quality improvement measures in respective cities. These plans target air pollution sources like soil  &  road  dust,  vehicular  emissions,  waste burning,  Construction  &  Demolition activities  and  industrial  pollution.  State  level  Clean Air Action  Plans  prepared  by  States/UTs address both PM10 and PM2.5 through coordinated approach by implementing various policy and enforcement measures.

Pune,  Surat,  Hyderabad,  Mumbai,  Bangalore,  Chennai  and  6  cities  in  Delhi-NCR  have  been included under NCAP and City Clean Air Action plans have been prepared by respective cities. An amount of Rs. 13,852.22 crore has been provided to 130 cities as performance-based incentive under  NCAP.  Details  of  critical  gap  funding  provided  to  Pune,  Surat,  Hyderabad,  Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai and 6 cities in Delhi-NCR are enclosed at Annexure I.

The focused and coordinated 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, 64 cities have shown reduction in PM10 levels by more than 20% with respect to base year 2017-18 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, out of the 130 cities under NCAP, 40 cities have shown reduction in PM₂.₅ levels in 2024 as compared to 2019 and 56 cities have met the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for  PM₂.₅  (annual  standard:  40  µg/m³)  in  2024  which  include  Mumbai,  Chennai,  Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Pune and Surat. PM10 and PM 2.5 levels of major cities for the year 2024 are enclosed at Annexure II .

Further, Section 31 A of the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981 and Section 33 A of the Water Act, 1974 provide powers to State Pollution Control Boards to issue directions to any person or authority for performing its functions, which include directions for closure, prohibition or regulation of any industry, operation or process, stoppage or regulation of supply of electricity, water and any other service.

The Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, the Air Act, 1981 and the Water Act 1974 provide for imposing a penalty of not less than ten lakh rupees and which may extend up to fifteen lakh rupees for contravention of provisions of the respective Acts, rules, orders and directions issued under respective Act.

Under the provisions of Chapter VI of the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981, and Chapter III of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, the penalties are prescribed for polluting industries.

CPCB has directed all  17  categories  of high  pollution  potential  industries  and  common  waste treatment facilities to install Online Continuous Effluent/ Emission Monitoring Systems (OCEMS) for  strengthening  monitoring  mechanism  and  effective  compliance  through  self-regulatory mechanism and constant vigil on pollution levels. Real-time values of environmental pollutants of trade  effluent  and  emissions  generated  through  OCEMS  are  transmitted  online  to  CPCB  and concerned SPCB/PCC on 24x7 basis. Central software processes the data and in case of value of pollutant parameter exceeds prescribed environmental norms, an automatic SMS alert is generated and sent to industrial  unit,  SPCB  and  CPCB, so that corrective measures  can be taken by the industry immediately and appropriate action can be taken by concerned SPCB/PCC/CPCB.

About, 7000 industries have installed and connected OCEMS with CPCB server. During last three years i.e. 2023-25, a total of 412 units were inspected under OCEMS-based inspections. Out of these 412 units, 252 units were found non-complying with environmental norms, against which actions as deemed fit based on the gravity of violation and provisions of the environmental laws has been taken. The details of the same is as follows:

- i. Closure directions u/s 5 of EPA, 1986: 6,
- ii. Show Cause Notices/directions u/s 5 of EPA, 1986: 143,
- iii. Directions to SPCBs/PCCs u/s 18(1)(b) of the Water Act, 1974 and the Air Act, 1981 for further action: 70
- iv. Directives in the form of letter to unit: 33

Steps taken to reduce air pollution in Delhi-NCR and other major cities are enclosed as Annexure III .

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Annexure I Funds Provided to Major Cities including cities part of Delhi-NCR (during FY 2019-20 till FY 2025-26) (Amount in ₹ crore)

| S. No.   | State         | City      |   Fund Released |
|----------|---------------|-----------|-----------------|
| 1        | Delhi         | Delhi     |           81.36 |
| 2        | Haryana       | Faridabad |          107.14 |
| 3        | Rajasthan     | Alwar     |           25.15 |
| 4        | Uttar Pradesh | Noida     |           55.7  |
| 5        | Uttar Pradesh | Ghaziabad |          257.89 |
| 6        | Uttar Pradesh | Meerut    |          187.99 |
| 7        | Tamilnadu     | Chennai   |          582.65 |
| 8        | Maharashtra   | Mumbai    |          950.14 |
| 9        | Maharashtra   | Pune      |          271.3  |
| 10       | Gujarat       | Surat     |          328.6  |
| 11       | Telangana     | Hyderabad |          727.18 |
| 12       | Karnataka     | Bengaluru |          541.1  |
| Total    | Total         | Total     |         4116.2  |

Annexure II PM 10 and PM 2.5 Values for the Major Cities including cities part of Delhi-NCR for the year 2024

|        |                   |              | Annual Average Concentration   | Annual Average Concentration   |
|--------|-------------------|--------------|--------------------------------|--------------------------------|
| Sl. No | Name of UA/City   | State        | PM10 (µg/m3)                   | PM2.5 (µg/m3)                  |
| 1.     | Pune              | Maharashtra  | 92                             | 37                             |
| 2.     | Surat             | Gujarat      | 83                             | 34                             |
| 3.     | Hyderabad         | Telangana    | 78                             | 30                             |
| 4.     | Bengaluru UA      | Karnataka    | 70                             | 33                             |
| 5.     | Chennai UA        | Tamil Nadu   | 60                             | 27                             |
| 6.     | Delhi UA          | NCT of Delhi | 220                            | 111                            |
| 7.     | Greater Mumbai UA | Maharashtra  | 87                             | 34                             |
| 8.     | Hyderabad UA      | Telangana    | 78                             | 30                             |
| 9.     | Kolkata UA        | West Bengal  | 96                             | 48                             |

## Steps taken by the Government for controlling air pollution

1. Emission standards for more than 80 industries have been notified
2. Leapfrogging to Bharat Stage-VI (BS-VI) emissions norms from 1st April 2020
3. Vehicle Scrapping Policy, Rules for Registered Vehicle Scrapping Facilities and Automated Testing Stations-MoRTH
4. Waste management rules for solid waste, plastic waste, hazardous waste, e-waste, battery waste, biomedical waste, fly ash from TPPs
5. Market-based  Extended  Producer  Responsibility  (EPR)  regulations  introduced  for  waste categories,  viz.  plastic  packaging,  e-waste,  battery  waste,  waste  tyres,  used  oil,  end-of-life vehicles, construction & demolition waste and scrap of non-ferrous metal
6. 12 identified  Single-Use Plastics  (SUP) having high littering  potential  and  low  utility  were banned from 1st July, 2022
7. Mandate for utilization of minimum 5% of crop residue along with coal (pellets/briquettes) in thermal power plants in NCR and adjoining areas.
8. Measures undertaken to control air pollution in Delhi-NCR
9. (i) Regular  review meetings  have  been  held  on 08.08.2025,  16.09.2025,  10.10.2025 11.11.2025,  26.11.2025,    03.12.2025,  15.12.2025,  16.12.2025,  17.12.2025,  19.12.2025, 06.01.2026,  12.01.2026,  20.01.2026  and  02.02.2026  under  the  chairmanship  of  the Hon'ble Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, to review the action plans and  various  air  pollution  control  measures  implemented  by  State  Governments,  local bodies and implement agencies in Delhi-NCR and to deliberate upon the undertaking of air  pollution  abatement  measures  and  strategies  for  further  strengthening  air  quality management across the region.
10. (ii) Minister level Inter-Ministerial meeting was held on 07.10.2025 under the  Cochairmanship  of  Hon'ble  Minister  for  Environment,  Forest  and  Climate  Change  and Hon'ble  Minister  for  Agriculture  &  Farmers  Welfare  (MoA&FW)  on  the  issues  of management of Crop Residue Burning.
11. (iii) Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) established under the Commission for Air Quality Management in NCR and Adjoining Areas Act, 2021 for better coordination, research,  identification  and  resolution  of  problems  of  air  pollution  in  Delhi-  NCR  and adjoining areas.
12. (iv) The Commission has so far issued 95 Statutory Directions to specifically guide and direct various actions towards abatement of air pollution in the region. A monitoring mechanism to oversee the implementation of these directions has been put in place.
13. (v) To tackle air pollution in emergencies, Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) for DelhiNCR has been prepared, which provides set of emergency response actions, depending on severity of air pollution levels, and implemented by identified agencies for minimizing air pollution,  a  situation  that  generally  persists  in  the  Delhi-NCR  during  the  peak  winter months.
14. (vi) 5340 CNG/e-buses have been deployed for public transport in Delhi including 3535 ebuses. 2800 E-Buses and 1100 E-trucks have been allocated for Delhi under PM E-DRIVE scheme of Ministry of Heavy Industries (MHI).
15. (vii) A  total  of  450  electric  buses  has  been  sanctioned  for  participating  cities  (Faridabad, Gurugram, Rohtak, Panipat, Karnal & Alwar) of NCR region. The total Central Assistance approved,  so  far,  to  NCR  region  for  Behind-the-meter  (BTM)  power  and  civil  depot infrastructure is ₹35.77 crore under the scheme. By exclusively providing electric buses, the scheme helps in reducing emissions and promoting sustainable mobility. Further, amount of

Rs.  66,718.47 Crore has been released for Metro Rail/RRTS projects in Delhi  and NCR region from FY 2014-15 and onwards.

- (viii) All the industries in NCR have been shifted to approved fuels. Out of 240 industrial areas in  Delhi-NCR,  224  industrial  areas  have  been  provided  with  PNG  connectivity,  6  are provided  through  cascade  system.  Directions  have  been  issued  for  mandating  stringent emission norms for industries in NCR.
- (ix) To fast-track cleaner mobility, Direction No. 94 dated 03.06.2025, as amended on 23.12.2025 issued by CAQM mandated that Motor Vehicle Aggregators, Delivery Service Providers and E-Commerce Entities  shall  not  induct  any  conventional  ICE  vehicles  running  purely  on diesel  or  petrol  into  their  existing  fleets  of  four-wheeler  LCVs,  four-wheeler  LGVs  (N1 category up to 3.5 tonnes) and two-wheelers from 01.01.2026 onwards. However, induction of  BS-VI  emission  standard  two-wheelers  has  been  permitted  in  existing  fleets  up  to 31.12.2026.
- (x) Directions were issued by CAQM to shift public transport buses coming from neighbouring States  to  BS-VI  diesel/CNG/EV.  From  01.11.2026,  only  CNG/EV/BS-VI  diesel  buses, including tourist buses, have been permitted to enter Delhi.
- (xi) Entry of Commercial goods vehicles with non BS-VI Low Goods, Medium Goods and High Goods Vehicles into Delhi has been prohibited from 01.11.2025, with limited, time-bound relaxation for BS-IV vehicles up to 31.10.2026.
- (xii) To address air pollution from construction and demolition activities, construction projects having  built  up  area  above  500  square  meters  have  been  mandated  to  register  on SPCB/DPCC  portals,  with  provisions  for  video  fencing,  remote  access,  standardized checklists, fortnightly self-audits and installation of PM₂.₅/PM₁₀ monitors.
- (xiii) 70 Dust Control and Management Cells have been set up by road owning agencies across Delhi-NCR,  with  regular  reviews  by  the  CAQM.  States  and  GNCTD  have  augmented infrastructure  for  dust  control,  including  mechanized  road  sweeping  machines,  water sprinklers and anti-smog guns.

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