Delhi spent only one-third of funds received under NCAP to fight air pollution: Govt data
The Hindu
Delhi and other Indian cities underutilize funds from National Clean Air Programme, impacting air pollution control efforts.
Delhi, one of the most polluted cities in India, has used less than one-third of the funds it received under the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP), according to government records.
Launched in 2019, the NCAP is India's first national plan to set clean air targets. It aims to reduce PM10 pollution by 40% in 130 highly polluted cities by 2026, using 2019-20 as the base year.
Environment ministry data showed that Delhi spent just ₹13.94 crore, 32.65% of the ₹42.69 crore released to it under the NCAP.
A total of 14 cities and urban agglomerations have spent less than 50% of the funds they received under the programme, either directly from the environment ministry or through the 15th Finance Commission.
Noida in Uttar Pradesh, another major pollution hotspot in the National Capital Region, has spent only ₹3.44 crore of the ₹30.89 crore given to it for air pollution control. Faridabad in Haryana spent ₹28.60 crore of the ₹107.14 crore it received.
Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh used ₹39.42 crore out of the ₹129.25 crore allocated to it. Jalandhar in Punjab spent ₹17.65 crore of the ₹45.44 crore given to it, while Gulbarga in Karnataka used ₹8.98 crore of the ₹23.48 crore it received.
Other cities with low utilisation include Pathankot (37.1%), Ujjain (37.7%), Karnataka’s Devanagere (43.6%), Assam’s Nagaon (48.5%), Vijayawada (41.09%), Jamshedpur (44.24%) and Varanasi (48.85%).
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