What are the key features of the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) initiated by the Government of India?
The National Clean Air Programme (NCAP), launched in 2019, is India's first-ever national framework for air quality management with a time-bound reduction target. It represents a significant commitment to tackle the escalating problem of air pollution across the country. Its approach is collaborative, multi-scale, and cross-sectoral.
Here are its key features:
- Ambitious Target: The programme's central goal is to achieve a tentative national-level target of a 20% to 30% reduction in the concentration of particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10) by 2024, with 2017 as the base year for comparison.
- City-Specific Action Plans: The NCAP focuses on 131 "non-attainment cities" that have consistently failed to meet the National Ambient Air Quality Standards. Each of these cities is required to formulate and implement its own specific action plan to control local sources of pollution.
- Multi-Sectoral Approach: It acknowledges that air pollution is not a single-source problem. The programme seeks to coordinate actions across various sectors, including industry, transport, power plants, construction, agriculture (stubble burning), and households (biomass burning).
- Strengthening Monitoring Network: A crucial feature is the plan to expand the national air quality monitoring network, including manual and real-time continuous monitoring stations, to get a more accurate picture of the pollution levels.
- Collaborative Framework: It operates on a principle of cooperation between the central government, state governments, and local bodies. It also emphasizes public participation and awareness campaigns to make clean air a people's movement.
It's important to note that the NCAP is a guiding program and is not legally binding, which has been a point of criticism.
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