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| National Clean Air Programme | |
|---|---|
| Name | National Clean Air Programme |
| Abbr | NCAP |
| Country | India |
| Launched | 2019 |
| Agency | Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change |
| Status | Active |
National Clean Air Programme
The National Clean Air Programme was launched in 2019 as a coordinated initiative to reduce air pollution across India, aligning with commitments under the Paris Agreement, the World Health Organization air quality guidelines, and the Sustainable Development Goals. It establishes city-level action plans, national targets, and institutional arrangements involving ministries such as the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, and the Ministry of Power, coordinating with state governments like Maharashtra and Delhi and international partners such as the World Bank and the United Nations Environment Programme.
The programme was framed in response to worsening particulate concentrations measured in metropolises like Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, and Bengaluru and to assessments by bodies including the World Health Organization, the Global Burden of Disease study, and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Historical precedent drew on national efforts such as the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981 and lessons from global initiatives including the Clean Air Act (United States), the European Union Ambient Air Quality Directive, and municipal schemes in cities like London (referencing the Great Smog of 1952). Scientific inputs from institutions such as the Indian Council of Medical Research, the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, and the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute informed baseline inventories and health impact assessments.
NCAP sets a national aspiration to reduce annual average concentrations of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and coarse particulate matter (PM10) by 20–30% from 2017 levels by 2024–25 in selected non-attainment cities. Targeting pollution sources aligns with sectoral policies including the Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of (Hybrid &) Electric Vehicles (FAME) scheme, the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana, the National Electric Mobility Mission Plan, and fuel policies under the Bureau of Energy Efficiency. The programme’s milestones intersect with commitments under the Nationally Determined Contributions (India), the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation, and the Smart Cities Mission.
Implementation relies on a multi-tiered governance structure involving the Central Pollution Control Board and state pollution control boards such as the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board and the Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board, municipal bodies including the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai and the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, and technical partners such as the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay and the Indian Institute of Science. Coordination mechanisms reference inter-ministerial committees drawing members from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, and regulatory frameworks like the Goods and Services Tax for fiscal alignment. Judicial inputs from the Supreme Court of India and rulings such as directions following litigation on stubble burning influenced policy responses in states like Punjab and Haryana.
Monitoring networks integrate data from Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Stations operated by the Central Pollution Control Board, research networks at the National Atmospheric Research Laboratory, satellite observations from Indian Space Research Organisation missions such as Resourcesat and INSAT, and international datasets from agencies like NASA and the European Space Agency. Reporting protocols connect to the National Air Quality Index platform and use methodologies endorsed by the World Health Organization and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Evaluation draws on peer-reviewed studies in journals associated with the Indian Council of Medical Research and academic audits by institutions such as Jawaharlal Nehru University and the Tata Institute of Social Sciences.
Financial architecture blends central allocations through the Ministry of Finance, project-specific support from multilateral lenders like the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank, and state budgetary contributions from entities such as the Government of Gujarat and the Government of Tamil Nadu. Incentives channel through schemes including the FAME scheme, tax instruments under the Central Board of Direct Taxes, municipal bonds issued by bodies like the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, and concessional finance mechanisms piloted with actors such as the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development and the State Bank of India. Public–private partnerships involved corporations like Tata Motors, Mahindra & Mahindra, and energy firms such as NTPC Limited.
Sectoral interventions encompass measures in transport (promotion of electric vehicles through FAME, expansion of public transit like Delhi Metro and bus rapid transit systems), industry (emission control technologies in steel and cement plants, fuel switching in entities such as Indian Oil Corporation Limited), power generation (deployment of renewable energy under the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy and efficiency upgrades in NTPC Limited units), urban planning (solid waste management reforms guided by the Swachh Bharat Mission and green cover enhancement inspired by initiatives in Ahmedabad), and agriculture (stubble management programs in Punjab and Haryana and incentives for crop residue utilization coordinated with the Indian Council of Agricultural Research). Complementary actions include tightening vehicular emission norms (Bharat Stage BS VI rollout), cleaner fuel mandates (promotion of compressed natural gas use in municipal fleets), brick kiln modernization, and control of open burning through local ordinances and enforcement by municipal bodies.
Evaluations indicate mixed outcomes: measured declines in PM10 in some urban centers contrast with persistent PM2.5 hotspots in northern plains and episodic seasonal spikes attributed to stubble burning, vehicular emissions, and transboundary transport. Critics from academic centers such as Centre for Policy Research and advocacy groups like Centre for Science and Environment point to shortcomings in funding scale, enforcement by state pollution control boards, data transparency, and integration with climate policy instruments like the National Action Plan on Climate Change. Operational challenges include coordination across ministries, capacity constraints in municipal corporations, limitations in continuous monitoring coverage, and socioeconomic trade-offs affecting stakeholders such as informal sector workers and industries represented by chambers like the Confederation of Indian Industry. Subsequent reviews recommend stronger legal mandates, enhanced financing via multilateral partners, expanded satellite and ground-based monitoring partnerships with Indian Space Research Organisation and ISRO collaborators, and urban design reforms drawing on models from Copenhagen and Singapore.
Category:Environmental policy of India