National Clean Air Program

Why in news?

• Four years since the Centre launched the National Clean Air Campaign (NCAP), analysts found that progress has been slow and pollution has only incrementally reduced in most cities.

About National Clean Air Program:

• The National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) is an initiative formulated by the Ministry of Environment to tackle increasing air pollution across the country in a comprehensive manner.
• Under NCAP, 132 non-attainment cities have been identified across the country based on the Air Quality data from 2014-2018.
• The goal of NCAP is 20%–30% reduction of PM2.5 and PM10 concentration by taking 2017 as the base year for the comparison of concentration.

Mandate of the NCAP:

• Preparation of the city-specific action plans including measures to strengthen the monitoring network, reduce vehicular/industrial emissions, and increase public awareness.
• Implementation of the city-specific action plans to be regularly monitored by Committees at the Central and State level namely Steering Committee, Monitoring Committee and Implementation Committee.

Objectives of NCAP

• To augment and evolve effective and proficient ambient air quality monitoring networks across the country for ensuring a comprehensive and reliable database
• To have efficient data dissemination and public outreach mechanism for timely measures for the prevention and mitigation of air pollution
• To have a feasible management plan for the prevention, control and abatement of air pollution.

Add ons:

• With the exception of Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Bengaluru, most of the cities chosen are tier two cities.

PRACTICE QUESTION:

Consider the following statements regarding National Clean air program:

1.It is primarily aimed at reducing the air pollution levels in Delhi.

2.It aims at 20%–30% reduction of PM2.5 and PM10 concentration by 2024.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 only

(c) Both 1 and 2

(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Answer