**Executive Summary**
This document is the answer provided by the Minister of State in the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change to the Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 2321, answered on December 15, 2025, regarding the integration of NEERI's scientific models to control pollution. It outlines the measures taken by the government to integrate NEERI models, address air quality in non-attainment cities, and protect vulnerable populations. The document also provides the status of city action plans and air quality improvements.
**Key Points / Main Content**
* **NEERI Integration:**
* NEERI assists in conducting scientific studies, including Source Apportionment (SA), Emission Inventory (EI), and Carrying Capacity assessments.
* NEERI has completed Source Apportionment studies for 25 cities to support NCAP implementation.
* **Non-Attainment Cities (NAC):**
* CPCB identified 122 NAC based on PM10 levels exceeding National Ambient Air Quality Standards for five consecutive years (2014-2018).
* The Government of India launched the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) in 2019.
* NCAP is a long-term strategy to improve air quality in 130 cities, including 122 NAC and 8 other Million-plus population cities.
* State/UT-wise details of NAC and other Million-plus cities covered under NCAP are available in Annexure I.
* **City Action Plans (CAP):**
* CPCB issued guidelines for Air Quality Monitoring, Emission Inventory (EI), and Source Apportionment (SA) Studies.
* SPCBs/PCCs conduct Source Apportionment Studies via academic/research institutes under NCAP.
* All cities under NCAP have prepared City Action Plans (CAP) focusing on: road dust control, solid waste management, vehicular emissions, construction/demolition, and industrial pollution.
* District-level implementation Committees, chaired by the District Collector, approve and prioritize City Action Plans.
* **Dust Control Measures:**
* MoEFCC disseminated a Guidance Document on "Designing, Constructing and Maintaining Urban Roads and Greening of Traffic Corridors for Dust Control" to all cities under NCAP.
* This document integrates engineering standards with environmental safeguards for sustainable infrastructure and measurable air quality improvement.
* **Air Quality Monitoring and Grievance Redressal:**
* The SAMEER portal and mobile app provide real-time air quality data and an hourly Air Quality Index to the public.
* CPCB issues a daily bulletin with AQI for various cities.
* SAMEER also functions as a grievance redressal mechanism.
* Air quality data is available on SPCB/PCC websites.
* **NCAP Results:**
* 103 cities under NCAP have shown a reduction in PM10 concentration in 2024-25 with respect to 2017-18.
* 64 cities have shown a reduction in PM10 levels by more than 20% with respect to the base year 2017-18.
* 25 cities have achieved a reduction of more than 40%.
* 22 Cities have met NAAQS and have PM10 Concentrations less than 60 µg/m³.
**Impact Analysis**
**CSIR-National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI)**
* **Impact:** Responsible for conducting scientific studies.
* **Action Required:** Continue providing scientific and technical assistance to CPCB, SPCBs, PCCs, and ULBs.
**Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB)**
* **Impact:** Responsible for identifying NAC and overseeing NCAP implementation.
* **Action Required:** Continue to monitor air quality, issue guidelines, and disseminate information through portals.
**State Pollution Control Boards (SPCBs) / Pollution Control Committees (PCCs)**
* **Impact:** Responsible for implementing NCAP at the state/UT level and conducting source apportionment studies.
* **Action Required:** Implement the guidelines issued by CPCB, conduct Source Apportionment Studies, and prioritize activities.
**Urban Local Bodies (ULBs)**
* **Impact:** Responsible for preparing and implementing City Action Plans.
* **Action Required:** Prepare and implement City Action Plans focusing on road dust control, solid waste management, vehicular emissions, construction/demolition, and industrial pollution.
**District Level Implementation Committees**
* **Impact:** Responsible for approving the City level action plan.
* **Action Required:** Approve the City level action plan.
**Citizens**
* **Impact:** Beneficiaries of improved air quality; can report pollution-related complaints.
* **Action Required:** Utilize the SAMEER app to report pollution complaints and stay informed via air quality monitoring data on SPCB/PCC websites.
Key Entities Referenced
National Clean Air Programme (NCAP): A long-term, time-bound, national-level strategy to improve air quality in 130 cities across India.
Non-Attainment City (NAC): A city that does not meet the National Ambient Air Quality Standards and is targeted for air quality improvement under NCAP.
National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI): A research institute that assists in carrying out scientific studies related to air pollution and provides expertise for NCAP implementation.
Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB): A government body responsible for setting air quality standards and coordinating air pollution control efforts across India.
SAMEER: A centralised air quality portal and mobile app for tracking and disseminating real-time air quality data and Air Quality Index (AQI) to the public.
GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE
LOK SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2321
TO BE ANSWERED ON 15.12.2025
Integration of NEERI's Scientific Models to Control Pollution
2321. SHRI BRIJMOHAN AGRAWAL:
Will the Minister of ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE be pleased to state:
(a) the details of the mechanism adopted by the Government to integrate National
Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI) scientific models into regulatory
frameworks to move from a 'one-size-fits-all' policy to location-specific, science-driven
interventions, particularly in critically polluted areas of our country;
(b) the details of Non-Attainment City (NAC) along with the specific criteria and air quality
standards that lead to a city being officially designated as a NAC, State/UT-wise;
(c) the manner by which Government is ensuring that the City Action Plans (CAPs) are
scientifically aligned with the findings of their specific Source Appointment (SA) studies,
rather than implementing generic measures;
(d) the guidelines/measures adopted by the Government for visible interventions like road dust
management in the country, State/UT-wise; and
(e) whether the specific measures are there to protect the most vulnerable populations who are
often disproportionately exposed to high pollution levels in these NACs and if so, the details
thereof?
ANSWER
MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND
CLIMATE CHANGE
(SHRI KIRTI VARDHAN SINGH)
(a) to (e): CSIR- National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI) has been
assisting Central Pollution Control Board, State Pollution Control Boards (SPCBs), Pollution
Control Committees (PCCs) and Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) by carrying out scientific studies,
including Source Apportionment (SA), Emission Inventory (EI), and Carrying Capacity
assessments. CSIR-NEERI reported that it has completed Source Apportionment studies for 25
cities (18 in Maharashtra, 5 in West Bengal, and 2 in Andhra Pradesh) for implementation of
NCAP.
CPCB has identified 122 non-attainment cities based on the exceedance of the National Ambient
Air Quality Standards for PM10 levels consecutively for five years from 2014 to 2018.
Government of India launched the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) in 2019 as a long-term,
time-bound, national-level strategy to improve air quality in 130 cities across the country which
include 122 non-attainment cities and 08 other Million-plus population cities (not categorised as
non-attainment cities) under NCAP. State/UT-wise details of the non-attainment cities including
other Million-plus population cities covered under NCAP are enclosed at Annexure I.CPCB has issued “Conceptual Guidelines and Common Methodology for Air Quality Monitoring,
Emission Inventory (EI) & Source Apportionment (SA) Studies for Indian Cities.” SPCBs/PCCs
take up Source Apportionment Studies through various academic/ research institutes for respective
cities under NCAP in their jurisdiction in line with the CPCB guidelines. All cities under NCAP
have prepared City Action Plans (CAP). These plans focus on sectoral interventions such as road
dust control, solid waste management, vehicular emissions, construction and demolition activities
and industrial pollution. District level implementation Committees constituted under the
Chairmanship of District Collector, approve the City level action plan prepared by concerned
ULBs and prioritise the activities.
MoEFCC has disseminated the Guidance Document on ‘Designing, Constructing and Maintaining
Urban Roads and Greening of Traffic Corridors for Dust Control’ to all cities under NCAP, with
request to use the same for construction and maintenance of dust free roads. It integrates
engineering standards prescribed by the Indian Roads Congress (IRC) with environmental
safeguards such as dust control measures, vegetation, and drainage systems, to ensure sustainable
urban infrastructure and measurable improvement in air quality.
A centralised air quality portal and mobile app-SAMEER is functional for tracking and
dissemination of near real time air quality data and hourly Air Quality Index to the public. CPCB
issues a daily bulletin at 04:00 PM comprising AQI of various cities in the country. SAMEER app
also serves as a grievance redressal mechanism which allows the citizens to report pollution related
complaints for quick resolution by the concerned agencies. Further, air quality monitoring data is
also made available by respective SPCBs/PCCs on their websites.
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, 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 NAAQS and
have PM10 Concentrations less than 60 µg/m3.
***Annexure I
List of non-attainment cities (NACs) and other Million Plus cities under NCAP
State S. No. City
Non-attainment cities
Andhra Pradesh (13) 1. Guntur
2. Kurnool
3. Nellore
4. Vijayawada
5. Vishakhapatnam
6. Anantapur
7. Chittoor
8. Eluru
9. Kadapa
10. Ongole
11. Rajahmundry
12. Srikakulam
13. Vizianagaram
Assam (05) 14. Guwahati
15. Nagaon
16. Nalbari
17. Sivasagar
18. Silchar
Bihar (03) 19. Patna
20. Gaya
21. Muzaffarpur
Chandigarh (01) 22. Chandigarh
Chhattisgarh (03) 23. Bhilai
24. Korba
25. Raipur
Delhi (01) 26. Delhi
Gujarat (03) 27. Surat
28. Ahmedabad
29. Vadodara
Himachal Pradesh (7) 30. Baddi
31. Damtal
32. Kala Amb
33. Nalagarh
34. Paonta Sahib
35. Parwanoo
36. Sunder Nagar
Jammu & Kashmir (2) 37. Jammu38. Srinagar
Jharkhand (01) 39. Dhanbad
Karnataka (04) 40. Bangalore
41. Davanagere
42. Gulbarga
43. Hubli-Dharwad
Madhya Pradesh (06) 44. Bhopal
45. Dewas
46. Indore
47. Sagar
48. Ujjain
49. Gwalior
Maharashtra (18) 50. Akola
51. Amravati
52. Aurangabad
53. Badlapur
54. Chandrapur
55. Jalgaon
56. Jalna
57. Kolhapur
58. Latur
59. Mumbai
60. Nagpur
61. Nashik
62. Navi Mumbai
63. Pune
64. Sangli
65. Solapur
66. Ulhasnagar
67. Thane
Meghalaya (01) 68. Byrnihat
Nagaland (02) 69. Dimapur
70. Kohima
Orissa (07) 71. Angul
72. Balasore
73. Bhubaneswar
74. Cuttack75. Rourkela
76. Talcher
77. Kalinga Nagar
Punjab (09) 78. Dera Bassi
79. Gobindgarh
80. Jalandhar
81. Khanna
82. Ludhiana
83. Naya Nangal
84. Pathankot/Dera Baba
85. Patiala
86. Amritsar
Rajasthan (05) 87. Alwar
88. Jaipur
89. Jodhpur
90. Kota
91. Udaipur
Tamilnadu (03) 92. Thoothukudi
93. Trichy
94. Madurai
Telangana (04) 95. Hyderabad
96. Nalgonda
97. Sangareddy
Uttar Pradesh (16) 98. Agra
99. Allahabad
100. Anpara
101. Bareilly
102. Firozabad
103. Gajraula
104. Ghaziabad
105. Jhansi
106. Kanpur
107. Khurja
108. Lucknow
109. Moradabad
110. Noida
111. Raebareli112. Varanasi
113. Gorakhpur
Uttarakhand (03) 114. Kashipur
115. Rishikesh
116. Dehradun
West Bengal (07) 117. Kolkata
118. Asansol
119. Barrackpore
120. Durgapur
121. Haldia
122. Howrah
Million plus cities which are not categorised as non-attainment cities
Gujarat (1) 123. Rajkot
Haryana (1) 124. Faridabad
125. Jamshedpur
Jharkhand (2)
126. Ranchi
Madhya Pradesh (1) 127. Jabalpur
Uttar Pradesh (1) 128. Meerut
Maharashtra (1) 129. Vasai-Virar
Tamilnadu (1) 130. Chennai
*****