"India's National Clean Air Programme Reports Progress Across 130 Cities"
Non-attainment city
a city that consistently fails to meet national ambient air quality standards, making it eligible for NCAP coverage
AQI (Air Quality Index)
a standardised scale classifying air quality into six categories based on the worst-performing pollutant among eight measured pollutants
Air pollution is one of the most significant environmental health risks globally. Economic development, rapid urbanisation, and expanding industrial activity have together worsened ambient air quality across Indian cities. The relationship between development and environmental degradation is well established: as economic activity grows, so do emissions from transport, industry, construction, and energy generation, unless deliberate policy intervention decouples growth from pollution. This tension is especially acute in a country like India, where industrial jobs and affordable energy are also poverty-reduction tools, making a simplistic 'stop all emissions' approach neither feasible nor equitable.
The health consequences of poor air quality are severe. Fine particulate matter, PM2.5, is small enough to penetrate deep into lung tissue and enter the bloodstream, causing cardiovascular and respiratory disease. Coarser PM10 particles are filtered by the upper respiratory tract and do not penetrate the lung barrier in the same way, though they still cause respiratory irritation. The WHO Air Quality Guidelines set the annual mean for PM2.5 at 5 micrograms per cubic metre and the 24-hour mean at 15 micrograms per cubic metre, thresholds most Indian cities exceed significantly. Ozone (O₃) is another critical pollutant: excessive ozone in the air can trigger asthma and damage lung tissue. Industrial sources, steel plants, thermal power stations, cement factories, emit a range of pollutants including oxides of sulphur, oxides of nitrogen, carbon monoxide, and carbon dioxide, all of which contribute to ambient air quality degradation.
India's institutional response to air quality monitoring began with the National Ambient Air Quality Monitoring (NAAQM) programme, initiated by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and later renamed the National Air Quality Monitoring Programme (NAMP). This programme established the baseline infrastructure for measuring pollutant concentrations across urban areas. However, monitoring alone is insufficient without a corresponding action framework to reduce emissions at source, which is the gap the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) was designed to fill.
The National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) was launched in 2019 across 130 cities identified as non-attainment cities, cities that consistently fail to meet national ambient air quality standards. NCAP is a multi-sectoral initiative involving the Central Government, State Governments, Urban Local Bodies, and other stakeholders. It emphasises source-specific mitigation: city-level clean air action plans identify the dominant pollution sources in each city (vehicular emissions, industrial discharge, road dust, crop burning, construction) and prescribe targeted interventions for each.
NCАP operates through several institutional layers. At the national level, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) provides policy direction and funding. State governments and district administrations are responsible for on-the-ground implementation. Monitoring committees at Central, State, and District levels track progress. The PRANA portal (Portal for Regulation of Air-Pollution in Non-Attainment Cities) provides digital tracking of both physical and financial progress under city action plans, enabling real-time oversight and public transparency. …
In the context of WHO Air Quality Guidelines, consider the following statements:
1.The 24-hour mean of PM2.5 should not exceed 15 micrograms per cubic metre and annual mean of PM2.5 should not exceed 5 micrograms per cubic metre.
2.In a year, the highest levels of ozone pollution occur during the periods of inclement weather.
3.PM10 can penetrate the lung barrier and enter the bloodstream.
4.Excessive ozone in the air can trigger asthma.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
Consider the following statements:
I.Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in India are less than 0.5 t CO2/capita.
II.In terms of CO2 emissions from fuel combustion, India ranks second in Asia-Pacific region.
III.Electricity and heat producers are the largest sources of CO2 emissions in India.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
With reference to particulate matter and its health effects, consider the following statements:
1.PM2.5 can penetrate the lung barrier and enter the bloodstream.
2.PM10 can also penetrate the lung barrier and enter the bloodstream.
3.The WHO Air Quality Guideline sets the annual mean for PM2.5 at 5 micrograms per cubic metre.
4.Excessive ozone (O₃) in the air can trigger asthma.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
Consider the following statements regarding India's Air Quality Index (AQI):
1.AQI is calculated using eight pollutants: PM10, PM2.5, NO₂, SO₂, CO, O₃, NH₃ and Pb.
2.The overall AQI is determined by the average concentration of all eight pollutants.
3.AQI classifies air quality into six categories, ranging from Good to Severe.
4.The SAMEER application provides near real-time AQI data for cities across India.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
Consider the following statements regarding the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP):
1.NCAP was launched in 2019 covering 130 non-attainment cities.
2.NCAP is implemented exclusively by the Central Government without involvement of Urban Local Bodies.
3.The Swachh Vayu Survekshan was launched in 2022–23 as an annual competitive assessment of NCAP cities.
4.BS VI compliant vehicles were introduced across India from April 2020 as part of cleaner mobility efforts.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
Match the following digital/monitoring tools under India's air quality management framework with their primary function:
List I (Tool) — List II (Primary Function)
A.PRANA portal — 1. Near real-time AQI data for citizens
B.SAMEER application — 2. Tracking physical and financial progress of city clean air action plans
C.Swachh Vayu Survekshan — 3. Annual competitive ranking of NCAP cities
D.NAMP — 4. Periodic and real-time ambient air quality monitoring across cities
Consider the following statements about India's ambient air quality monitoring network:
1.The National Air Quality Monitoring Programme (NAMP) was initiated by the Central Pollution Control Board.
2.As of March 2026, the monitoring network comprised over 1,600 stations across more than 600 cities.
3.Manual stations and Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Stations (CAAQMS) both form part of the network.
4.CAAQMS collect and analyse samples periodically, while manual stations provide continuous real-time data.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
Want the full note, Prelims Facts & MCQ answers?
Create a free account — takes less than a minute.
Create free account