**Executive Summary**
This document is a response to Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 233 regarding the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP). The response details the objectives, implementation, and achievements of the NCAP, launched in 2019 to improve air quality in 130 cities by 2025-26. The document also addresses the utilisation of funds and the monitoring mechanisms in place.
**Key Points / Main Content**
* **NCAP Objectives and Scope:**
* Launched in 2019 to improve air quality in 130 non-attainment and million-plus cities across 24 States/UTs.
* Aims to implement National, State, and City level action plans, engaging all stakeholders, from 2019-20 to 2025-26.
* All 130 identified cities have prepared City Action Plans (CAPs).
* **Funding and Measures:**
* Funding is considered "critical gap funding," supplemented by convergence of resources from other Central Government schemes.
* Action Plans include both short-term and long-term measures.
* Guidelines promote the establishment of C&D and solid Waste processing plants, material recovery facilities, Automated Testing Stations, and Registered Vehicle Scrapping Facilities.
* **Awareness and Community Engagement:**
* Emphasises IEC activities and awareness generation through the MY Bharat portal and other outreach activities.
* City action plans incorporate Mission LiFE activities, involving youth through the 'Meri Yuva Bharat' portal.
* **Air Quality Focus and Results:**
* NCAP focuses on PM10, while inherently addressing PM2.5 through broader regulatory framework and implementation strategy.
* A wide range of actions addresses PM2.5 emission sources.
* 103 cities have shown a reduction in PM10 concentration in 2024-25 with respect to 2017-18
* 22 cities have met NAAQS and have PM10 Concentrations less than 60 µg/m³.
* **Monitoring and Evaluation:**
* Features structured monitoring mechanisms at National, State, and District/City levels, including steering and implementation committees.
* NCAP is under the purview of State and District-level DISHA Committees.
* The National Coordination Committee was constituted in July 2025.
* The PRANA portal is used for program management, monitoring, and implementation.
* **Incentive and Recognition:**
* Cities receive performance-linked grants for implementing action plans.
* Better-performing cities are recognised and awarded during the Swach Vayu Sarvekshan celebration.
**Impact Analysis**
**Stakeholder: Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change**
* **Impact:** Responsible for the overall implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of the NCAP.
* **Action Required:** Oversee the progress of the program, coordinate with State and District-level committees, and ensure the effective utilisation of resources.
**Stakeholder: State Governments and Urban Local Bodies**
* **Impact:** Responsible for developing and implementing City Action Plans in line with NCAP guidelines.
* **Action Required:** Develop and implement City Action Plans, participate in the monitoring process, and utilise allocated funds effectively.
**Stakeholder: Citizens of 130 Identified Cities**
* **Impact:** Directly affected by the air quality improvements resulting from the NCAP.
* **Action Required:** Participate in awareness campaigns, adopt sustainable practices, and support the implementation of City Action Plans.
Key Entities Referenced
Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change: The primary government body responsible for the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP).
National Clean Air Programme (NCAP): A national program to improve air quality in 130 cities by implementing action plans and engaging stakeholders.
PRANA (Portal for Regulation of Air-pollution in Non-Attainment cities): A comprehensive web-based portal for program management, monitoring, and implementation of NCAP.
City Action Plans (CAPs): Plans developed by cities to implement air quality control measures under the NCAP.
India: The country where the NCAP is being implemented.
OIH
GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE
LOK SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 233
TO BE ANSWERED ON 02.02.2026
National Clean Air Programme
233. SMT. ROOPKUMARI CHOUDHARY:
SMT. SANJNA JATAV:
Will the Minister of ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE be pleased to state:
(a) the details of objectives of the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) along with the
number of cities targeted thereunder and the timeframe fixed therein;
(b) the number of non-attainment cities identified under the NCAP 2019 along with the number
of cities wherein approved City Action Plans have been implemented;
(c) the number of cities or towns which are still outside the purview of NCAP or any approved
plan and the reasons therefor;
(d) whether the Government is aware that a major portion of the NCAP funds has been utilised
on short-term measures such as Road dust control, Mechanical sweeping and Water
sprinkling;
(e) the reasons for long-term measure such as industrial emission control, clean energy,
transportation and awareness campaign getting lower priority along with the remedial
measures taken by the Government to correct the said imbalance;
(f) the policy and timeline for including PM2.5 in monitoring and target setting; and
(g) the major achievements accomplished so far under the NCAP and the details of monitoring,
performance evaluation, penalty and incentive mechanism in force through the Portal for
Regulation of Air-pollution in Non-Attainment cities (PRANA) portal?
ANSWER
MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND
CLIMATE CHANGE
(SHRI KIRTI VARDHAN SINGH)
(a) to (c) : National Clean Air Programme was launched by Ministry of Environment, Forest and
Climate Change in 2019 with an aim to improve air quality in 130 cities (Non-Attainment and
Million-Plus cities) in 24 States/UTs through implementation of National, State and City level
action plans by engaging all stakeholders, for the period 2019-20 to 2025-26.
Under NCAP, 130 cities have been identified based on the criteria of Non-Attainment of Air
Quality Standards and cities with Million plus population. Out of the said 130 cities, 122 Cities
are identified as non-attainment cities. As per the data furnished by cities in PRANA portal, all
cities have prepared City Action Plans (CAPs) for implementing air quality control measures.(d) & (e): Funding under NCAP is a critical gap funding. In addition funding for implementation
of City Action Plans (CAPs) is mobilized through the convergence of resources from various
Central Government schemes. Action plan under NCAP consists of implementation of different
measures, which also involves short term as well as long-term measures like end-to-end pavement
of road, greenery development, greening of open areas, plans to decongest traffic corridors,
development of urban micro forest including Miyawaki plantation, improvement of traffic
junctions for decongestion, conversion of crematorium towards clean fuels, establishment of EV
Charging Stations. Moreover, guidelines issued under NCAP for funding under Air Quality
Challenge Method promotes establishment of C&D and solid Waste processing plants, material
recovery facilities, Automated Testing Station, Registered Vehicle Scrapping Facilities.
Further, one of the key activities identified under NCAP emphasize on IEC activities and
awareness generation through MY Bharat portal and also other outreach activities like plastic free
initiatives, tree plantation, foster public awareness through multiple platforms like DISHA, My
Bharat, World Environment Day, Swachh Vayu Diwas, Air Pollution Awareness Week etc.
City action plans have incorporated the Mission LiFE activities for providing awareness to
citizens including involvement of youth through ‘Meri Yuva Bharat’ portal of Department of
Youth Affairs.
As per the findings of various source apportionment studies undertaken by Cities, road dust has
been identified as one of the major contributors to PM concentrations and hence, many cities
10
have undertaken focused measures to control road dust emissions.
(f): NCAP focuses on PM , however as a subset of PM , PM is inherently addressed through
10 10 2.5
the broader regulatory framework and implementation strategy aimed at reducing particulate
matter levels overall. A wide range of targeted actions to address all sources of PM emissions
2.5
has been included in the Clean Air City Action Plans.
(g): The focused actions by 130 cities under NCAP have shown positive results with 103 cities
showing reduction in PM concentration in 2024-25 with respect to 2017-18, 64 cities have shown
10
reduction in PM levels by more than 20% with respect to base year 2017-18 and 25 of these cities
10
have achieved a reduction of more than 40%. A total of 22 Cities have met NAAQS and have PM
10
Concentrations less than 60 µg/m3. Air quality improvement details in 130 cities are enclosed at
Annexure-I.
To ensure monitoring and performance evaluation of the scheme, NCAP consists of structured
monitoring mechanism at different level like Steering, Monitoring, and Implementation
Committees at the National level (Apex Committee under Chairmanship of Hon’ble Minister,
EFCC), State (under Chairmanship of Chief Secretary), and District/City levels (Implementation
and Monitoring Committee) under the Chairmanship of District Collector/Municipal
Commissioner.
Further, NCAP has also been brought under the purview of State and District-level DISHA
Committees, enhancing accountability and convergence. Further, to provide overall guidance and
coordination for implementation of the National Action Plan under the National Clean Air
Programme (NCAP) through convergence of schemes and programs of Central Government and
State Government, Urban Local Bodies and other development authorities/agencies, a NationalCoordination Committee has been constituted by MoEFCC in July, 2025. These committees
periodically monitor and evaluate the progress of implementation of action plans.
Moreover, a comprehensive web‑based portal, PRANA (Portal for Regulation of Air‑pollution in
Non‑Attainment cities) has been operationalized for program management, monitoring, and
implementation of NCAP. PRANA portal captures both physical progress (such as clean air action
plan proposed, number of activities completed, meetings held) and financial progress (funds
allocation, released and utilized) across all 130 cities.
As an incentive mechanism, under NCAP, cities receive performance-linked grants to implement
their action plans based on their achievements during preceding year. Further, better-performing
cities are appreciated and recognized every year through awards under different categories, during
Swach Vayu Sarvekshan celebration ceremony.
****ANNEXURE I
AIR QUALITY IMPROVEMENT IN 130 CITIES
Improvement
in PM in No.
10
S.
2024-25 w.r.t of Cities
No.
FY 2017-18 Cities
(%)
Gujarat (2): Rajkot, Surat; Himachal Pradesh (1): Nalagarh; Jammu & Kashmir
(1): Srinagar; Jharkhand (1): Dhanbad; Maharashtra (3): Badlapur, Greater
Mumbai, Ulhasnagar; Meghalaya (1): Byrnihat; Nagaland (1): Kohima; Punjab
1 Above 40 25
(2): Amritsar, Jalandhar; Tamil Nadu (1): Tuticorin; Uttar Pradesh (11): Agra,
Allahabad, Bareilly, Firozabad, Ghaziabad, Jhansi, Kanpur, Lucknow,
Moradabad, Raebareli, Varanasi; Uttarakhand (1): Dehradun
Andhra Pradesh (6): Ananthpur, Kadapa, Kurnool, Nellore, Rajahmundry,
Vijayawada; Assam (2): Nagaon, Sivasagar; Gujarat (2): Ahmedabad,
Vadodara; Haryana (1): Faridabad; Himachal Pradesh (4): Baddi, Kala Amb,
Parwanoo, Sunder Nagar; Jammu & Kashmir (1): Jammu; Jharkhand (1):
Ranchi; Karnataka (3): Bengaluru, Devanagere, Hubli-Dharwad; Madhya
2 20-40 39
Pradesh (1): Jabalpur; Maharashtra (3): Akola, Amravati; Thane Nagaland (1):
Dimapur; Punjab (4): Dera Baba Nanak, Khanna, Ludhiana, Naya Nangal;
Rajasthan (2): Alwar, Jodhpur; Tamil Nadu (1): Trichy; Telangana (1):
Hyderabad; Uttar Pradesh (3): Gajraula, Gorakhpur, Noida; Uttarakhand (1):
Rishikesh; West Bengal (2): Howrah, Kolkata
Andhra Pradesh (3): Chittoor, Eluru, Ongole; Bihar (1): Muzaffarpur;
Chhattisgarh (1): Durg-Bhilainagar; Delhi (1): Delhi; Madhya Pradesh (1):
Above 10 to
3 20 Ujjain; Maharashtra (2): Latur, Sangli; Punjab (2): Mandi-Gobindgarh, Patiala;
less than 20
Rajasthan (2): Jaipur, Kota; Tamil Nadu (2): Chennai, Madurai; Uttar Pradesh
(3): Anpara, Khurja, Meerut; West Bengal (2): Asansol, Haldia
Andhra Pradesh (1): Guntur; Assam (2): Guwahati, Nalbari; Bihar (1): Patna;
Himachal Pradesh (1): Paonta Sahib; Karnataka (1): Gulbarga/Kalaburgi;
Madhya Pradesh (2): Bhopal, Gwalior; Maharashtra (7): Chandrapur, Jalna,
4 Less than 10 19 Kolhapur, Nagpur, Nashik, Pune, Vasai-Virar; Odisha (1): Cuttack; Rajasthan
(1): Udaipur; Uttarakhand (1): Kashipur; West Bengal (1): Durgapur
Andhra Pradesh (3): Srikakulam, Visakhapatnam, Vizianagaram; Assam (1):
Silchar; Bihar (1): Gaya; Chandigarh (1): Chandigarh; Chhattisgarh (2): Korba,
Raipur; Himachal Pradesh (1): Damtal; Jharkhand (1): Jamshedpur; Madhya
5 Nil 27 Pradesh (3): Dewas, Indore, Sagar; Maharashtra (4): Aurangabad, Jalgaon,
Navi Mumbai, Solapur; Odisha (6): Angul, Balasore, Bhubaneswar, Kalinga
Nagar, Rourkela, Talcher; Punjab (1): Dera Bassi; Telangana (2): Nalgonda,
Sangareddy; West Bengal (1): Barrackpore