Garhwal Post Bureau
New Delhi, 4 Aug: Responding to a question raised in the Lok Sabha by Haridwar MP and former Chief Minister of Uttarakhand Trivendra Singh Rawat, Minister of State for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Kirti Vardhan Singh shared detailed information regarding the progress, expansion, and impact of the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP).
Launched in January 2019, the NCAP aims to improve PM10 levels in 130 cities across 24 states and union territories with populations of over one million, where national air quality standards are currently being violated.
The key achievements so far have been: Improvement in PM10 levels recorded in 103 cities; 22 cities have achieved compliance with National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS); six NCR cities — Delhi, Alwar, Faridabad, Noida, Ghaziabad, and Meerut — have shown remarkable improvement in air quality compared to 2017-18. Also, in Maharashtra, 19 cities were included under NCAP, of which 15 cities have recorded measurable improvements in air quality.
The minister highlighted various measures undertaken to improve air quality, including construction of paved roads, deployment of electric buses, development of green corridors, use of clean fuel in crematoria, mechanical cleaning operations and public awareness campaigns.
He further stated that, in the coming years, major cities of Uttarakhand will also witness the positive impact of these initiatives.
Appreciating the government’s initiatives, Rawat said, “Clean air is a fundamental right of every citizen, and the structured efforts being undertaken are now showing visible results in several metropolitan cities. We are confident that major cities of Uttarakhand will also witness significant improvement in air quality in the near future.”
