Union Environment Minister Lauds Clean Air Initiatives on Swachh Vayu Diwas

Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav reviewed national, state, and city clean air action plans across 131 cities. The performance-based grant of Rs 19,612 crore supports this initiative. Yadav praised significant air quality improvements, large-scale tree plantation, and various urban sustainability efforts. He urged for coordinated action and reforms in waste management.

Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav assessed the implementation of clean air action plans across 24 States and Union Territories and 131 cities, highlighting sizable efforts on Swachh Vayu Diwas.

In Jaipur on September 7, Yadav discussed the Rs 19,612 crore grant allocated for city action plans from 2019-20 to 2025-26, noting Rs 11,211 crore has been utilized so far. He stressed the importance of reaching the target of a 40% reduction in PM10 levels by 2025-26.

Among the improvements discussed were road dust management, vehicular pollution reduction, waste management solutions, urban greening, and industrial pollution control. Yadav underscored projects such as the creation of Nagar Van/Vatikas in 64 cities and praised efforts by top-performing cities for achieving up to a 40% reduction in PM10 levels.

Additionally, the Minister highlighted extensive tree plantation drives under 'Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam' and called for the convergence of central and state schemes to tackle air pollution decisively. He suggested establishing a Coordinating Mechanism to monitor air pollution movement in the Indo-Gangetic Plain region.

Presentations by several union ministries detailed strides in sustainable urban mobility, waste management, green space creation, and clean fuel initiatives. The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs emphasized efforts relating to the Swachh Bharat Mission 2.0, Smart City Mission, and PM e-bus Sewa. Other ministries discussed vehicle scrapping policies, city gas networks, and biomass utilization to curb air pollution.

Municipal Commissioners from top-performing cities like Surat, Firozabad, and Raebareli shared their successful strategies in reducing air pollution, demonstrating effective implementation at the city level.

(With inputs from agencies.)